


all of this has happened before, and it will all happen again

by bluelovesstuff



Category: The Creature Hub, The Creatures (Youtube RPF)
Genre: Depression, M/M, Memory Alteration, Mild Language, Non-Graphic Violence, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-03-16 21:56:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3504155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluelovesstuff/pseuds/bluelovesstuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aleks!Peter Pan AU where James is Wendy and James has believed in Peter Pan since he could walk and Aleks can't let seem to let him go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> I tagged the warnings, but there is mild/explicit swearing (what do you expect, we're talking about the creatures here), inaccurate Peter Pan lore that I've altered/changed to fit the story (like Aleks' age and pixie magic and Hook details, etc.), mild/graphic violence (aka blood, a lot of blood), graphic sexual content (again, its novahd, what do you expect), and mild/extreme depression and suicidal thoughts. 
> 
> also, the setting of the story is around the same time period as all the other peter pans take place, so don't expect someone to pop out an iphone or talk in a way that actually makes sense. 
> 
> well, I hope you enjoy and I hope I didn't scare you away. 
> 
>  
> 
> [Follow My Tumblr](http://tropicalaleks.tumblr.com/)

Aleks always found the city of London to be the most soothing at night. The streetlamps were dimly lit, stars were shining about him, home lights flickering off, and the sound of his feet touching roofs under him.

There were no loud cars or barking dogs during the late hours of London. It was a peaceful time of slumber and dreams, the latter being Aleks’ speciality.

Tinkerbell shined on his shoulder, her glowing skin and golden dust like a flame as he dashed and flew with a smile over the houses of London. The roofs were close, put together like townhouses, and it allowed him to skip and flip as much as he pleased across them.

He usually would do his rounds around the city during extreme late hours, his eyes always searching for something; for what he didn’t know. Fate had its own way of expressing itself.

Aleks paused his motions when he heard a soft cry from the ground below. Tinkerbell rang like bells in his ear and he nodded as she flew over to the alley below them, her small light illuminating the dark and dreary alleyway like a spotlight, the source of the cry silencing as it spotted the beacon.

Aleks felt his chest sink at the sight in front of him. It was a baby, a boy it seemed by the small head of dark small curls and the dark blue blanket clothing him. The boy was wrapped in the cloth and tucked into some type of basket. Aleks kneeled and couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen such a small living and breathing person --other than Tink, of course-- in front of him.

He reached out hesitantly, eyes flicking cautiously to the fairy that sat beside him, as awed as he was at the child. The boy had pale cheeks that were tinted pink from the cold air around them and Aleks wished he had some way of warming him.

Aleks allowed the child to grip his index finger, laughing to himself, “You sure do have a tight grip.” He whispered, the child’s face forming a smile at the comment.

He glanced to Tinkerbell, who sent him an exasperated expression, “Oh, _c’mon_ Tink. We have room at the treehouse for ‘im. He’s just a baby.” He convinced.

The fairy turned red and began to jingle into the brunet’s ear loudly, causing him to wince at her scolding. The baby did not seem to like to outburst and began sobbing once again, Aleks’ eyes going wide and pushing Tinkerbell off his shoulder as he attempted to calm the wailing child.

“ _Hello?_ Is anyone there?” An American-accented, feminine voice asked, startling Aleks and the fairy and causing them to shoot back onto the roof above them.

The baby cried even louder once the flying boy had left his side and Aleks felt his chest drop as he spotted a woman carrying a lamp in one hand and the other clutching against her coat as she stepped into the alley.

She immediately spotted the baby and ran over to the child, shushing him and cooing as she kneeled down to soothe him, “It’s alright, it’s alright,” She paused and Aleks placed his chin on his folded arms as he leaned down to watch the woman, “How did you get out here all by yourself? Huh, little one?”

She sounded American, which made Aleks wonder what she was doing over here in London. She had a slight twang that Aleks had heard in the southern colonies of the country and Aleks found it quite soothing as she murmured soft notions to the baby.

Aleks’ head tilted as she seemed to pluck a note from the basket’s interior, something he hadn’t spotted before. She read the note over before placing it in her coat’s pocket and picking up the child gently.

“Well, _James_... It seems that your mother deemed herself unfit to take care of you,” The woman smiled, “Just in your luck, I’m the house mother of the local orphanage.”

Aleks tensed at the word and stayed low as the woman walked down the dim street and to a two storied home with a large red door. Lights were strangely on in the house and Aleks flew down to one of the second story’s side windows to investigate.

His eyes widened at the sight of playing children scurrying around the room. He had never seen orphanages like this when he...

There were children playing with wooden swords and bouncing on their beds, large smiles on their faces. He heard the sound of cooing nearby and flew over to the next window sill, a gasp escaping his mouth when he spotted the woman once again, this time holding a fully-clothed baby James in her arms.

Small girls that looked no older than six gathered around the woman, pulling at the woman’s dress in an attempt to see the baby.

“Please, _please_ Maria can we see him?” A blonde haired girl asked desperately.

The woman, now known as Maria to Aleks, laughed softly and lowered herself so that the girls could get a better look at the child.

Aleks hadn’t gotten a chance to examine the child closely in the alley, since it was so dark and the boy’s cheeks and eyes were flowing with tears, but the baby he saw through the window was no ordinary child.

Aleks didn’t know what, but he saw something special in the child’s bright eyes. He saw _wonder_ in the boy. Tinkerbell spotted the entranced expression on her friend’s face and jingled softly. Aleks looked at her and then back at James, who was getting placed in a small crib in the corner of the room, and nodded hesitantly.

He pushed himself off the window sill and glanced over his shoulder once more before flying back into the high sky and aiming for the second star to the right.

He paused his motions and gazed down at the houses of London, making sure to engrave the orphanage to memory, “I’ll be back, James,” He smiled and Tinkerbell rested on his shoulder, “We’re going to have so many adventures.”


	2. Growth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just reminding you that its still taking place a couple decades back, just as the usual peter pans take place.

Aleks continued to visit the boy, watching him grow and grow until he finally reached the remarkable age of six years. He couldn’t believe how much the boy had grown as he watched him from the orphanage roof.

 

He and two other boys played with a large brown and white dog in the backyard of the house. James’ laugh rang in Aleks’ ears and Tinkerbell sat beside him, her small legs crossed as she watched the child run from the barking dog.

 

After what seemed to be hours of playing in the backyard, Maria called the three boys inside, “James, Daniel, Seamus! Dinner’s ready, c’mon in before you all catch a cold!” She laughed as the three came bouncing inside, the large dog on their heels.

 

Aleks swung himself to the top of the roof once again, laying flat and waiting for the sound of laughter to ring before he peered down into the bedroom below him. After an eternity in Aleks’ opinion, the three boys came running into the room, picking up their swords and fighting one another playfully.

 

“You awful pirate, Captain Hook! You never win with Peter Pan in Neverland!” The boy known as Seamus shouted at Daniel.

 

It was strange. The boys all had an American accent carried over from Maria and other adults that lived in the orphanage that cared for the children. It must’ve been confusing for them to hear adults outside of the orphanage talk with an English accent.

 

Daniel laughed evilly, “I don’t see a Peter Pan anywhere-”

 

James lunged for him and tackled him onto a pile of bears, “Here I am!” He exclaimed, causing all three of the boys to giggle loudly.

 

Aleks had heard Maria tell them stories of this ‘Peter Pan’ and had been shocked to hear that this fictional character resembled himself in almost every way; except for the incredibly strange name of ‘Peter’, red hair, and strange attire of tights and a ‘pan hat’.

 

He even had a fairy named Tinkerbell, to which Tink answered with a shrug and a ‘it’s a common name’.

 

And as Aleks stared into the room, he felt nothing more than the urge to jump into the room and tell them, tell _James_ , that there was actually a Neverland and there was an evil pirate named Hook who vowed to kill him.

 

That there was a place where they never had to grow up and all they had to do was believe.

 

He had taken in other boys before who needed his help --he now called them his ‘Lost Boys’-- and they were his best friends. But, this wasn’t a helpless child anymore that needed his help, this was a happy boy who could get a home with a family of his own at any time.

 

He wasn’t going to ruin that.

\--

Aleks paced around the floor of his bedroom, Tinkerbell sitting in her dollhouse of a home while watching the distressed brunet. She hated seeing him like this and he paid her no mind as she flew from the room and into the Lost Boys’ quarters of the treehouse.

 

She flew to the second oldest boy of their small family, Edwin or Eddie for short. The boy was about 19 and had also been placed in an orphanage before Aleks found him just before he was about to be placed onto the streets. He had forgotten about the place from which he had come from and his friends, solely now having Aleks and the Lost Boys as his family.

 

He immediately spotted her as he fiddled with his makeshift instrument that resembled a guitar, his eyes wide as she landed on his shoulder and began whispering in his ear.

 

He furrowed his brow, “Tink, he’s been locked up in that room for two days. Hasn’t gone flying or adventuring throughout the Neverwoods or-”

 

Tinkerbell whispered in his ear once again and he gave her a curt nod, standing and approaching the curtain closed room, Tinkerbell close behind.

 

He cleared his throat, “Aleks? Jordan and I were just about to head out and go hunting for beasts for dinner later,” He paused and pressed a smile on his lips, “We heard that Hooks back from his voyage, if we grab enough food by the time the sun goes down, then we might just-”

 

“Go without me, Eddie,” He said sternly, pausing, “Tell Jordan to fix his bow so he doesn’t hurt himself, remind Joe and Spencer not to cut themselves with their own dagger, help Dex with his sword, and you’re in charge of looking after Kevin. Don’t mind Hook, he won’t bother knowing that I’m not with you.”

 

Eddie remained silent and nodded, knowing that was probably Aleks lying on his bed with his eyes closed at the moment with his flute in hand and that it was no use trying to reason with the flying boy.

 

He smiled sadly to Tinkerbell, who simply crossed her arms and followed the boy as he set out to find Jordan and the others.

\-- 

James itched at his sweater, hating the feeling of the uniform on his skin. Maria tied his last shoelace and gave him a kiss on the forehead as she ushered the three boys out the door.

 

“Have a good day, boys!” She called.

 

They all but grumbled at the goodbye and she smiled as she shut the door, watching from the window as they made their way to school. They looked so grown in their uniforms and Maria could remember holding each one of them as a baby.

 

Seamus held open the crumpled and elder fairytale book he had been reading all morning for comfort of his first day, not paying attention as he simply followed behind James’ footsteps; James doing the same with Daniel as he tinkered with a broken watch that Maria had found for him the other day.

 

The school was not 5 minutes away, only about 3 blocks from the orphanage and full of other children running down the sidewalks. The three boys were in no hurry though, they’d much rather’ve stayed home and played in their room.

 

James was the most reluctant of the trio and almost rolled his eyes when they reached the front gate of the school to be greeted by who seemed to be the headmaster.

 

“Don’t you all look lovely in your uniforms! And what are your names?” She asked, Daniel’s eyes wide and Seamus’ gaze only glancing up at the woman as he peered into his book boredly.

 

James stood tall and crossed his arms, “My name is James Darling, and these are my brothers Daniel Darling and Seamus Darling.”

 

The headmaster’s brow raised at the American twang of the boy and realised that they were orphanage children by their familiar last name, quickly attempting to hide the distaste, “Well, young man it’s a pleasure for you to join us. I assume it’s your first day?”

 

James nodded and gazed up at the woman suspiciously as she gestured for them to follow her into the tall building, “Your kindergarten teacher’s name is Mrs. Katherine. You’ll do some studies and then will be allowed a break and snack time, then more studying, and finally nap time and are dismissed at two-thirty,” She paused and turned as she held the classroom door open for the boys, “Any questions?”

 

James uncrossed his arms and glanced into the door hesitantly, “Will there be stories?” He asked.

 

The headmaster tilted her head and frowned, “Stories? Like bedtime stories-”

 

James nodded, “Like Robin Hood and the Jungle Book and...” He paused and smiled brightly, “And Peter Pan. There just has to be stories-”

 

The headmaster kneeled down to his level, looking him in the eye, “Mr. Darling, we do not encourage _stories_ here.”

 

James’ mouth fell open and he crossed his arms once again, “That’s awful. How do you go on adventures without stories?”

 

The headmaster stood and guided the three into the room, “By _practicality_ and doing your best in school so you can have a good career and essentially a good _life_.”

 

James looked to the ground, wondering if any other child in the room even knew what stories were by the blank expressions on their faces.

\--

“And she lived happily ever after once Phillip slayed the dragon.” James finished, all eyes around him wide and entranced in the story.

 

A redhaired girl smiled brightly at him, “That was amazing.”

 

James shrugged, “It’s just a story that everybody should know. I don’t know why you don’t know it yet.”

 

The group of children surrounding him as they sat in the freshly cut grass frowned. Daniel and Seamus sat on either side of him, Seamus still reading his book that held all the stories that James was telling from heart and Daniel leaning back as he took in the decent amount of sunlight shining.

 

“Your parents never told you stories? Not even before you went to sleep?” James asked, astounded.

 

All heads around him shook no and James felt like it was his absolute duty to tell these children all the stories and adventures and he and his brothers had experienced.

 

He grabbed the book from Seamus, who made a noise of protest, to which James simply slung an arm around his shoulder and opened the book to the first page.

 

“Now, this story isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s awesome. It’s about a girl who follows a white rabbit into a rabbit hole...” James continued, pointing to the pictures and adding strong details to the tale that he would’ve left out otherwise.

 

The teachers on duty for the break hour watched as children played on swingsets, slid down slides, and played hopscotch freely. The two women, the first and second grade teachers, sat under one of the large trees in the courtyard of the school, eyes scanning the yard for any sign of distress or unorder.

 

Just as everything seemed to be up to par in the yard, the second grade teacher, Ms. Leighton, spotted a large group of children sitting in the corner of the yard in a circle. She squinted and stood, telling the other educator that she would be back and that they were probably playing a childish game that she would have to break up.

 

But, as she edged closer and closer to the group, she recognized the voice of one of Mrs. Katherine’s children, James Darling. She knew the boy and his two ‘brothers’ were orphans and were used to a _chaotic_ environment, but what she heard the boy exclaiming about was beyond that.

 

“... And he flew up high into the air, dagger in hand, swinging and swashbuckling with the evil Captain Hook! The old codfish didn’t even know how to fly, so he spun about and Peter took his chance as he pushed the pirate into the alligator’s snapping jaws-”

 

Ms. Leighton was appalled at the language, “Mr. Darling!” She scolded.

 

James eyes drifted to the woman and he swallowed at her harsh glare and pointed finger.

 

“Get over here this instant!” She demanded, gesturing to the ground beside her.

 

Daniel grabbed James’ arm as he stood, a worried expression on his face as Seamus seemed to have the same, “James, wait-”

 

James shook his head, “They just don’t like stories, Dan. I’ll get them to love them in no time,” He gave the pair a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, I’ll be back in no time.”

 

Daniel let go of the arm and watched as the teacher placed her hand on the base of his shoulders, guiding him back indoors and disappearing from sight.

 --

James squirmed in the large chair, his eyes not meeting the pointed look of the headmaster’s.

 

She sighed, “Mr. Darling, what did I tell you about stories?”

 

He gazed up at her, “That you do not have them here, Mrs. Edwards.” He mumbled quietly.

 

She raised her brow, “We do not mumble here, Mr. Darling-”

 

“What do ‘we’ do here then?” He asked, raising his voice, “If not stories or adventures, what else is there?”

 

She pursed her lips together and stared at the child, “Alright, Mr. Darling, if you can tell me _one_ story of yours that is _probable_ and _factual_ , then you may continue to encourage other students about them.” She proposed.

 

He thought for a moment and smiled, “Princes rescuing Princesses-”

 

Mrs. Edwards shook her head, “That is what the Royal Guard is for, Mr. Darling.”

 

James frowned, “Boys buying magical beans that grow tall beanstalks in the front yard-”

 

Mrs. Edwards hummed in negatively, “Scientifically impossible.”

 

James’ face drained of its color and he felt tears pricking at his lids, “Fairy godmothers coming to save the day-”

 

Mrs. Edwards examined her nails, “No such thing.”

 

James reached down into his backpack to grab his journal, opening it to a page and sliding the drawing onto her desk, “ _Peter Pan_ and _Neverland_ and _Tinkerbell_ and _Lost Boys_ -” He quaked, pointing to the illustrations.

 

Mrs. Edwards stared at him and pulled the journal forward for further inspection. It displayed a boy flying over what seemed to be an island with a large rainbow hanging above it. A ‘fairy’ was at the boy’s side and the sky had poorly drawn stars in it. Mrs. Edwards closed the journal and tucked it in her desk drawer for safe keeping and evidence for later.

 

James’ mouth fell open and he stood, “Hey, that’s- that’s mine! You can’t have it-”

 

Her hand reached for the dial-up phone to her left, motioning him to take a seat and having him reluctantly do so.

 

She sent him a thankful, yet forced, smile and heard a reply in her ear, “Hello, Ms. Darling... Yes, they’re all alright... No, I was just calling to inform you that I have a Mr. James Darling sitting in my office right now... Yes Miss, he did... Alright, I suspect that you have a considerate punishment for him... No, thank _you_ , have a nice day.” She beamed, hanging up the phone and having the smile disappear completely.

 

James glared at her as she asked that he sit outside her office and to wait for his ‘mother’. His eyes stung as he rubbed at his red and irritated lids. That journal had all memories that he held of his real mother in them, varying from what songs she sang to him when he was very little to the color of her eyes.

 

And when Maria arrived and saw the state that the boy was in, she quickly gave him a kiss on the forehead and stormed into the office; the sound of her and the headmaster’s displeased yells being heard through the hall.

 

Maria slammed the door of the office in a small amount of five minutes, sending James a small smile and offering her hand as they walked out of the facility’s doors. He saw no journal in her grasp and frowned, sniffling as she pulled him closer to her.

 

As they reached the front steps of the orphanage, she kneeled and gripped his shoulders, “That woman had no right to talk to you like that, do you understand James?”

 

He nodded and a sniffled, “She took my journal.”

 

She frowned and pulled him into an embrace, “We’ll get it back sweetheart, I promise,” She paused and released him, guiding him back into the house, “How about I fix you a sandwich and a cup of warm milk and you can go lie down for a while, huh?”

 

James smiled up at her weakly, “Thank you, Maria.”

 

She kissed his forehead once again and watched as he slumped up the stairwell, a distraught expression on her face as she took the loaf of bread out, sliced two pieces, and cut off the crust for her boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed. xx


	3. Hello

Aleks smiled as he leaped up and over a fireplace in his path, Tink giggling beside him as he soared and took a deep breath of air. The moon was full and the face of the large clock on the horizon glowed to the same extent.

 

Aleks had been unsure about visiting James again, it had been three weeks since he’d seen the boy and he’d spent the three weeks sleeping in trees and talking his problem out with Princess Tiger Lily. After Tiger Lily accused Aleks of being scared to speak to the boy, Aleks stormed off and the skies of Neverland darkened, the waters surging and Jordan immediately coming to find their flying leader to reassure him that he was the exact opposite; he was brave and he didn’t back down from anything.

 

He could officially say after those two therapeutic things that he was ready to visit him again and maybe even speak to the boy.

 

He flew down to the window, noticing that it was open as the curtains blew with the wind. He peered inside to find no light source other than the moon pooling into the room. He swallowed and landed inside the carpeted room.

 

He saw three beds there, as usual three sleeping bodies tucked under their blankets. He noted that James was in the center of the line of beds while beside him were his brothers, Seamus and Daniel.

 

He froze when he heard a soft, familiar laughter in his ear and glanced warily to Tink whose eyes widened at the sound. James made a noise of acknowledgement from the sound, but didn’t wake, much to Aleks’ relief.

 

He turned to the wall beside him to see his shadow mocking and making faces at him teasingly. Aleks held back a frustrated groan at the being and pulled at his hair, glancing to Tink for some type of a solution. She nodded and darted to grab the rambunctious shadow, who simply leapt from the wall to the ceiling and then back to a different wall in an attempt to lose the fairy.

 

Aleks watched as the shadow jumped over the children’s beds, laughing to itself when Tinkerbell fell into a dresser drawer accidentally. Aleks glared and flew over to take matters into his own hands, grabbing at the shadow’s feet and grunting as it continued to fly around the room.

 

He finally wrestled the shadow onto the ground and winced as he landed roughly into the carpet, rocking back and forth as he gripped his hurt knee and hit his now attached mischievous shadow.

  
Then, there was a gasp and Aleks’ eyes went wide when he saw James peering over the end of his metal framed bed, mouth wide and eyes twinkling as he gazed down at him.

 

Aleks sat up and offered a small, embarrassed smile, “Hello James-”

 

“Peter Pan knows my name?” He whispered shouted, hopping off his bed and running over to to turn back on the oil lit lamp on his nightstand.

 

Aleks tried to hide back the fact that he was in pain --he had too much pride to be completely honest--, but failed as James frowned and ran over to him.

 

James had seen pictures of the notorious Peter Pan before, but he hadn’t expected him to look the way the boy sitting in his room was. He had dark brown hair that was cut messily just above his ears and swept over his forehead as if the wind itself had done it. His face was long, as well as his nose and his eyes were a dark brown that went with his dark hair accordingly.

 

James tilted his head when he noticed that the boy was wearing leaves and vines of some sort, almost as if he was wearing shortened trousers and a sprinkle of leaves covering his chest. Where were his tights? His brown shoes? His pan hat with his red feather?

 

“Are you alright?” James asked cautiously.

 

Aleks quickly nodded and stood, “Yeah, I’m alright.”

 

James frowned, “You’re lying,” He looked over to the boy’s knee and spotted a scrape, gasping and running over to the dresser, “Here.”

 

The fairy that sat in the exact drawer was tumbled around the trinket filled space as James pulled it open and closed to grab a adhesive band aid for the older.

 

Aleks shook his head at the item, “I’m fine, really.” He said as James handed it to him.

 

James nodded persistently and Aleks sighed, placing the sticky fabric on his knee and smiling as the burning seemed to dim.

 

James smiled and sat back down in his bed, “Better?”

 

Aleks returned the smile and nodded, “Thank you, James.”

 

James sat cross-legged and just stared at the boy, making Aleks feel slightly uncomfortable as he cleared his throat, “You should be getting back to bed,” He paused, “You’ve started school already, yeah?”

 

James frowned at the mention of education and nodded, “Yes, I started a week ago. It’s awful.”

 

Aleks laughed at the groaning and noticed a light flickering in one of the drawers to his right, suddenly remembering his friend and helping her out of the space. She immediately flew out, burning red as she yelled at him for leaving her in there, Aleks’ attention off elsewhere as he stared at wide eyed James.

 

“Tinkerbell?” He whispered, making the fairy stop bickering and turn to look at the boy.

 

Tink loved compliments and meeting a human that had never seen a fairy before was something that she adored since it was a rare opportunity. Aleks smiled and watched as the fairy flew over to his bed, smiling at the small child and landing in his palm.

 

James opened his mouth, blinking as if she wasn’t there in his hand, “You’re very pretty.” He blurted, causing Aleks to laugh and for Tink to wink and jingle at the boy.

 

Aleks smiled, “She says thank you.”

 

James glanced to the boy, “You can understand her?” He asked in wonder.

 

Aleks nodded, “It’s not a hard language to learn.” He informed.

 

James let the fairy fly from his hand and laughed as she dusted some type of gold dust onto him, Aleks’ eyes immediately going wide and grabbing the stubborn fairy. James let out a laugh as he began to float into the air, Aleks pulling him back down by the cuffs of his pajama pants quickly before he hit the ceiling.

 

“Tink, why’d you do that? He’s not coming with us.” He hissed to the aggravated fairy who simply barked back a retort.

 

“Well, I know that, but he’s not ready yet-” He paused as he felt James’ eyes on him and he sighed, looking back to the boy, “James, I need to go. It was really nice meeting you.” He said, making sure that the pixie dust had completely erased from the boy’s skin before backing away to the window and slipping out.

 

James’ eyes widened and he ran over to the window, “Wait, where are you going?” He called, making their dog below, Nana, begin to bark.

 

Aleks turned and felt his chest sink at the boy’s disappointed face, “I’ll be back, James. I promise, I’ll be back before you know it.”

 

James looked doubtful of this, so Aleks quickly thought of something to ease the boy’s doubt and plucked an acorn from his clothing, gliding down to hand it to the boy.

 

James smiled at the object and looked up to the older, “I knew you were real, Peter.” He whispered, “They told me you weren’t and here you are.”

 

Aleks frowned as the child looked close to tears, flying even closer to the window sill, “Who told you that I wasn’t real, James?” He asked.

 

James sniffled and wiped his eyes quickly, not meeting the flying boy’s eyes, “My headmaster, Mrs. Edwards. She said I need to grow up and stop believing in silly stories, like you.”   
  
Aleks smiled sadly and sat on the window sill, one leg slid out while another was propped to lean his arm on, “Well, you can tell Mrs. Edwards that I think that she’s a codfish.” He laughed, poking James’ nose playfully and earning a giggle from the boy.

 

James sat down on the window seat cushions, crossing his legs and glancing over to Daniel and Seamus, “My brothers believe in you too, y’know.”

 

Aleks followed his gaze to the sleeping boys, “I’m glad,” He paused and looked to James, “Now, why don’t you tell me one of your stories that I’ve heard so much about?”

 

James’ face lit up and he ran over to the dresser to grab the storybook, tripping slightly as he ran back over to the window seat, “Well, it matters which one you like. My favorite is, well...” He glanced up at the boy, “Peter Pan, but that’s just me-”

 

Aleks laid his head back and took a breath of the night’s air, “Tell me it.” He requested.

 

So James did, making sure to include all the details of Neverland that Aleks already knew and how at the end of the story Peter leaves Wendy and how that confused James a little bit.

 

Aleks had never heard of this ‘Wendy’ person before and let a smile rise to his face at the comparison of James and this Wendy girl.

 

Aleks opened his eyes, staring at the boy fondly, “Why? He’s just thinking about what’s best for Wendy and how she can’t spend forever in Neverland. That would be selfish of him, don’t you think?”

 

James stared into the book, “I’ve - I’ve never really thought about it that way.” He mumbled  and Aleks’ lips curved into a smile.

 

He pushed himself off the window sill and James’ head shot up, “You’ll come back, Peter?”

 

Aleks turned and saw the hope in the boy’s eyes, “Of course, I promised,” He paused and flew back to the window for just a moment, “My name isn’t Peter, James. It’s Aleks, Aleks Pan.”   
  


James gazed up at him, confused, “The storybook had everything else right though? About the forests and the fairies and the mermaids and the pirates?” He asked.

 

Aleks smiled and nodded, “Of course,” He laughed to himself, “And don’t forget the Neverland tribe and Princess Tiger Lily, they get pretty mad if you forget about them.”

 

James nodded quickly, making Aleks’ smile grow --if it was even possible-- across his face, “And James?”

 

James swallowed and watched as Tink flew over to press a small kiss on his forehead, “Yeah, Aleks?”

 

Aleks’ mouth froze as he heard his name out of the child’s mouth, but regained his posture quickly after the fond moment, “Remember to keep the window open for me, so I know that you haven’t forgotten.”

 

James nodded effectively and Aleks waved before soaring up again, over the houses, into the sky, and out of sight.

 

There was a sudden groan from behind him and he turned, seeing a disoriented Seamus sitting up in his bed, rubbing his tired eyes. James laughed and ran over to him, jumping on his bed and making Seamus groan even louder.

 

“What are you doing up, James? We have school tomorrow-”

 

James stopped bouncing and sat on Seamus’ bed, Dan now stirring in his own as James smiled brightly at his brother, “Sea, he’s real. He’s really real!” He whispered in a shout.

 

Seamus ruffled his long hair, pushing it from his eyes and attempting to grab his glasses from the nightstand, “Who?

 

James scoffed, “Peter Pan, of course. He’s brave and can fly and he’s nice and funny - Seamus, he’s amazing and you didn’t even once hear him when he flew in.”

 

Seamus blinked and took off his glasses, falling back into his soft pillow, “Go back to sleep, James.” He mumbled.

 

James pushed him and scowled, “I’m not lying, Sea. I’m serious!”   
  


“Would you two keep it down? Maria’s going to come up here and I’m not taking the blame this time.” Dan grumbled from his bed.

 

James hopped down from the bed and walked back over to the window seat, gripping the handles of the windows before whispering a, “I knew you existed,” to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if there are any mistakes, I don't have a beta and to be honest I don't think I'm comfortable enough with my own writing for that yet. hope you enjoyed. xx


	4. Let 'Em Go

James kept the window open every night after that night. On cold nights, warm nights, raining nights, snowing nights... And Aleks always seemed to find a way to come. He attempted to explain to the boy that his body temperature didn’t really change outside of Neverland, and that he didn’t really care about his hair when a game of go-fish was at stake.

 

Aleks eventually met Daniel and Seamus, Seamus pushing James as James repeatedly told him that he wasn’t crazy and that Peter Pan was real.

 

They all played games and James often told them stories that Daniel and Seamus had heard hundred times before, but what they hadn’t seen or heard was the reactions of Aleks himself with his gasps and aggravation at Sleeping Beauty for pricking her finger.

 

Tinkerbell sat on his shoulder for most of the time, often alternating between the flying boy and James. She had to admit that she quite liked the curly haired boy, with his bright eyes and his soft laugh; that and she could tell that the boy brought something out of Aleks that she hadn’t seen for years, that she hadn’t seen since Aleks discovered his Lost Boys on accident.

 

The three boys often attempted to bring their dog, Nana, up to their bedroom so she would get used to Aleks so she wouldn’t bark every time he flew into the window. Aleks warmed the dog’s heart immediately with his smile and the way he would rub her ears. He told the boys that they didn’t have domesticated animals back in Neverland; other than the dolphins and birds of course, but they didn’t really count in Aleks’ opinion.

 

And the three children just listened in wonder to his stories because these were actual stories that Aleks had lived and experienced. They wanted to experience fighting pirates and dancing with the Indian princesses and meeting mermaids.

 

And Aleks knew that, he could see it in their eyes.

 

But he knew, if he took them to Neverland, that they would never want to leave and Aleks couldn’t just take them away like that.

 

Even if he pictured James being by his side, capturing fireflies and teaching the boy how to fly, he just couldn’t do it.

\--

Aleks visited often, as often as he could anyways.

 

While he was away, Neverland became gloomy and not as lively as it had been when all he lived for was fighting Hook and finding the endless buried treasures with his boys. The sky dimmed and the forest quieted and the beasts that usually tormented the land slept for extended periods of time.

 

And Aleks understood this.

 

He just couldn’t resist the laughter and smile of the boy he had practically watched over since birth. He couldn’t just forget about James, he cared for the boy’s well being and loved hearing him speak of his fairy tales and hopes of growing up to be just like Aleks one day.

 

It was carefree and happy time for them. Seamus, Daniel, and James would eat dinner with Maria and the rest of the kids, and would bound up the stairs, quickly taking their baths and brushing their teeth before climbing into bed and calling a ‘goodnight’ to Maria from downstairs.

 

And they would wait for the small, golden light of the familiar fairy and the overcasting shadow and smile of the notorious flying boy. They would chat about their days in school and Aleks would share some of his stories of his own day as well, the latter often being the most interesting topic amongst the boys.

 

Time didn’t exist in Neverland and as he visited the boys each night, they seemed to be growing centimeter by centimeter then inch by inch each time he entered the room. He had asked them recently what their age was and Aleks’ eyes widened when James smirked and Seamus answered for him.

 

“Dan’s 14, James’ 13, and I’m 12,” He paused and Aleks smiled, “12 and a half, of course.”

 

It was good and Aleks felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest for a good while.

 

Until he flew into down to the window, just like any other night, only to find that the windows were shut. He landed on the ledge of the window sill and peered into the room, finding no sign of the boys and flying down into all the other windows before finally finding them.

 

They sat in the kitchen, arms crossed and heads low as Maria seemed to be scolding them.

 

Aleks leaned in further to the glass and heard snippets of the conversation.

 

“...always have that window open... You can’t expect to be adopted when you spend... Offered to adopt and I think it would be a good idea...”

 

She was interrupted by an outburst by James, the preteen’s brow furrowed and his mouth wide.

 

He certainly heard what James was saying, “You can’t do this! We want to stay here, we don’t want to be adopted!”

 

Maria’s folded hands turned white and Aleks could picture her aged face with a frowning expression, “James, you should be happy that they want to adopt all three of you! You won’t be separated, isn’t that what you wanted? You can’t stay in the orphanage forever.”

 

James opened his mouth, held it there for a moment, and quickly closed it, glancing to his two brothers beside him who didn’t meet his eyes as he seemed to be asking for help. Aleks frowned as James pushed himself up from his seat and stormed up the stairs.

 

Aleks watched as Seamus and Daniel sent Maria a knowing look, running after their brother and attempting to console him as they shouted his name. Aleks flew up to the familiar bedroom window to see James burying his face into his pillow, his back rising shakingly and indicating that he was indeed sobbing about the situation.

 

Aleks tapped on the window and James’ head slowly lifted itself, his eyes brightening instantly and a furious motion of wiping his eyes being made as he stood from the bed and made his way over to the window.

 

Aleks smiled softly as he lowered himself into the room, frowning when James would not look him in the eye, “You’re being adopted? That’s great, James.” He said gently.

 

James gripped his limp arm at his side, keeping his gaze undirected to the older, “No, Aleks it’s not. The Parkers are a nice people, but,” He paused and looked up at the brunette with clouded eyes, “they don’t tell stories and Mr. Parker is an accountant and Mrs. Parker runs a dress store and I don’t want to leave Maria-”

 

Aleks reached out for the boy, but the younger immediately flinched at the action and Aleks retracted his hand slowly, “James, there has to be another reason...” Aleks urged.

 

James swallowed and Aleks could practically hear his loud breaths that came from his stuffed and irritated nose.

 

“They don’t have a window, in our bedroom in their house.” He whispered and Aleks watched carefully as the younger winced as the words were spoken.

 

Aleks kneeled slightly so he was eye level with the sniffling and red eyed boy, almost making it unavoidable to make eye contact, “James... Are you upset because you think I would stop visiting you?” He asked softly, brow creased.

 

James stared at him for a moment and nodded sharply, “How will you come hear our stories or play with Nana or play cards or tell us about Jordan and Eddie and Dexter and Spencer and Joseph and how will Tink get her string for her tinkering or...” The rambling boy’s lip trembled, “How will I get to see you if we don’t have a fucking window, Aleks?”

 

Aleks was at awe from the mouth full and how distraught the younger looked at the thought of him not listening. He didn’t know what else to do but to pull him into an embrace, suddenly realising something that he hadn’t thought of in all his times of visiting the Darlings.

 

When was he going to draw the line with visiting James? Was he going to continue visiting the boy until he finally grew taller and older than the 20 year old? Or was he going to continue visiting him until he was old and grey and had grandchildren sleeping in the bed across from him?

 

Was he going to hold him back from growing up normally, leaving him waiting for a fictional character from a storybook to fly through the window every night?

 

Tinkerbell’s jingling voice drug him back into reality and he pulled away from the boy, tears in his own eyes as his gaze met Tink’s concerned one. He looked back to James, who stared at him in confusion.

 

Aleks had made his decision.

 

He took a shaking breath, crossing his arms and turning away as he muttered out a command to Tinkerbell, “Take their memories away of this, Tink.”

 

He heard Tinkerbell’s noises of protest and his features hardened as she flew over to his shoulder, trying to reason with him. She protests eventually ceased and he turned his serious expression to show her how serious he was about this. Her anger subsided and she suddenly became somber, her defensive shoulders dropping and her bright golden tint dimming as she glanced over to the frightened and unknowing James behind her.

 

She flew off his shoulder and Aleks squeezed his eyes shut as he made his way towards the window, trying to block out James’ pleas for him to wait for him. Aleks stepped up to the windowsill, his skin cold as he forced himself to think happy thoughts of Neverland and the Lost Boys to fly.

 

James’ pleas had ceased and Aleks heard the door creak open, the sounds of Dan and Seamus’ alerted voices silencing as well as Tinkerbell covered them in the magic dust. He didn’t dare to turn to see them sleeping in their beds, all memories of Aleks Pan well erased and replaced with normal occurrences of childhood.

 

He saw Tinkerbell fly past him, not bothering to wait as she flew over the homes’ roofs and up into the dark sky. He clenched his hands at his sides, forcing his feet to step up the window’s edge for the last time and closing the glass beside him with a click.

 

He pushed himself off the ledge, eyes burning and hands shaking as he said a final goodbye to the window and to the boy that he watched grow since infantry.

\--

The clouds darkened and the waves roared to life as Aleks entered Neverland’s atmosphere. Tinkerbell’s eyes darted around the islands, seeing even the brightest of the trees and the clearest of waters shake and churn as Aleks soared past her.

 

The mermaids cowered in fear as rain began to pour down in bullets, lightning striking near their lounging pools and forcing them to emerge into the deep water for safety. All life on the islands of Neverland quieted and the Indian tribe retreated to the safety of their homes.

 

Aleks tried not to notice the unbalanced change in atmosphere and attempted to control the emotions he was feeling, but that only made things worse as he suddenly lost the ability to fly mid-air and crashed down into the trees below, exclaiming Tinkerbell’s name at the top of his lungs as he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to think happy thoughts.

 

He spotted Tinkerbell’s glowing gold from the corner of his eye, knowing that if he didn’t clear this grief and feeling of loss from him that not even the pixie dust would help him fly. He sucked in a breath, but could not recover any trace of happiness, bracing himself for the fall ahead of him while hearing Tinkerbell’s screams in his ear.

 

Just as he caught sight of the bursting of leaves around him, he felt a pair of strong arms take hold of him and steady him onto the forest’s floor. The wind was blowing harshly in his ears and his eyes were wide as he pushed back from the figure to find that it was Jordan.

 

Jordan looked alarmed as well, “Aleks, are you okay?” He yelled over the whirling wind.

 

Aleks blinked and stumbled to stand, gripping the tree beside him for support as his legs wobbled pitifully. Once he properly stood, he noticed that his hair was soaked and that the usual soft grass below him had turned to mud.

 

Jordan stood, his mouth wide as Aleks took over to a running start, lifting himself off the ground for a few moments before crashing down again in the next few feet. Jordan dashed over to him, Tinkerbell right behind him as he slung an arm over his leader’s shoulder and slipped off his fur overcoat onto the shaking boy’s body.

 

“Aleks, we need to get back to the tree house! You think you can make it?” He shouted as thunder rumbled the trees and ground around them.

 

Aleks nodded weakly and did not mutter a word as Jordan ushered him through the familiar forest, the heights of Neverland’s skyscraper trees hardly giving them shelter as they usually did.

 

The rest of the Lost Boys had gathered outside the thick tree that they called home and did not hesitate to run over in the pelting rain as they spotted their comrade and leader limping their way.

 

Eddie stood on the other side of Aleks, face covered in concern as Tinkerbell ushered all the boys inside. He glanced to Jordan and he helped the older inside his own room, the remainder of the boys gathering outside the flying boy’s room, feeling the tree shake around them violently.

 

They helped him sit down on his bed, arm bruised and forehead bleeding slightly as he seemed to fall asleep almost immediately.

 

Eddie gaped at the sight, “What the hell happened, Jordan?” He whispered.

 

Jordan gazed down at Tinkerbell, who tugged a fur blanket over Aleks’ body and kissed his forehead, lying down beside the sleeping boy with a worried expression, “He did it.”

 

Eddie’s brow raised, “ _It?_ ”

 

Jordan blew out the candles in the room, motioning for Eddie to follow as he entered the main living room of the tree, all eyes on him as he swallowed and ran a hand through his wet hair.

 

“He let him go.”

\--

 James’ p.o.v.

 

_December 15th, 1927 / Bloomsbury, London, England._

 

“...Now I want you to take out your notebooks and begin your writing assignment that is due tomorrow. No chatting or fooling around, am I clear?”

 

A murmur of replies were made before the sound of papers and pages flipping took over the quiet room. James blinked and glanced over to the clock that ticked on his English professor’s desk, hoping that the minute hand would just travel to the bold six and release him from the final period of class.

 

Daniel sat beside him to his left, his gaze fixed on the large book of literature that was placed in front of him. Seamus sat to his right, eyes glued to the story as well but unlike Daniel taking notes on the novel.

 

James glanced to his own opened book, but found no interest as his brain ran over the trailing words on the page. He sighed, ran a hand over his face, and glanced back to the clock.

 

Two twenty-two, eight more minutes.

 

Seamus seemed to notice his bored brother as his eyes lifted from the page, kicking him slightly and gazing up to see if the professor was watching. James blinked and rubbed the shin that Seamus had abused.

 

“What was that for?” He mouthed.

 

Seamus rolled his eyes, “Do the assignment. We're help out this afternoon, remember?” He hissed.

 

James’ wince faltered and he held back a groan at the statement. He had forgotten that he had promised Maria that he’d help out with looking after the children while she interviewed some potential parents for the children.

 

James picked up his pen, getting to work on the assignment with no intent of attempting to figure the metaphor after metaphor on the pages before him.

\--

 Seamus nudged his shoulder as he tightened his satchel around his side, “I heard that Faith really liked being your dance partner for practice today.” He smirked.

 

James blinked and gazed to his brother boredly, “Really now? Well, considering on the amount of times she gracefully ‘danced’ on my toes, I’m sure she did.”

 

Daniel laughed and stepped down off the curb as they crossed the street, tugging his bag securely over his shoulder, “What’s wrong with Faith? Her father is a highly sought after doctor and her mother is one of the best seamstresses in London! If it’s just her footwork that keep you from getting to know her, then that’s ridiculous.”

 

James sighed, scuffing his polished and shined shoes onto the concrete, “I don’t know... There’s just something about her that isn’t right-”

 

Seamus puffed out a laugh, “No one is ever good enough for you, James?”

 

James narrowed his eyes, “No, it’s just that I don’t-”

 

“ _See anything special in them_ , we know.” Daniel chuckled, earning a slight shove from the younger.

 

Just as James was about to bark back a retort to both of them, they spotted a group of children playing ahead of them, all freezing once they caught sight of the trio.

 

“Danny, Seamus, Jamie!” Light voices exclaimed, their stomping feet carrying them over to the teenagers.

 

The three set their bags down, kneeling and taking the children into their arms; falling back and over exaggerating the children’s strength as they giggled melodiously.

 

James smiled brightly, “Have you all gotten bigger?” He paused and the smiles grew, “I could have sworn that you didn’t even reach my bellybutton!”

 

A brunette girl with a long braid cascading down her back poked at his stomach, “Maybe you’ve just shrunk, silly!”

 

James made a mocking expression as if he was offended, “I would have you know, little girl,” He paused and picked her up, placing her in the crook of his waist, “That I am bigger than you and always will be if I have any say in it! If you grow any more, I’ll have to get Maria to stop giving you your green beans.”

 

The girl laughed and Daniel and Seamus ushered the remainder of the children inside the door to the familiar home, the sweet smell of cherries and sugar reaching their noses.

 

James blew a kiss into the girl’s hair, making her shove him away in her giggling state, and placed her onto the ground where she scurried into the crowded kitchen. James inhaled the smell of old wood and fresh bread as he leaned against the kitchen’s doorway, knowing that he felt the most content that he’d been all week.

 

Seamus and Daniel helped the children sit at the table that was set directly in front of the front window, the curtains drawn and homemade placemats accompanying the setting. A feminine gasp was heard and all three sets of eyes turned to the left side of the room, where an exhausted, yet shining, appearing Maria smiled brightly at the trio.

 

“My boys, my baby boys are home,” She said, walking over and placing tender kisses on each of their heads, frowning as each time the boy was taller than herself, “My grown up, baby boys...”

 

They smiled and James took notice that her hair had been cut since the two weeks ago that he’d seen her, “You cut your hair?”

 

Her smile faltered, but it reappeared instantly as she tucked a piece of the dark hair behind her ear, “Well, it was always getting in the way and it wasn’t as if I had it styled every morning anyways.”

 

It reached to the bottom tips of her ears, the usual curly hair now taking on a slight wave to it. James smiled and glanced to his brothers, who simply shrugged and smiled as well.

 

“I like it.” He complimented, “It suits your face well.”

 

Maria walked over to him, her small frame comforting against his own as she wrapped an arm around him, “You’re too sweet,” She smiled up at him and he couldn’t help but melt inside at her caring expression, “I missed my boy.”

 

James wrapped his arms around her as well, “I’ve only been away for two weeks, Maria.” He laughed.

 

But as she pulled away and ruffled the hair of the children sat at the table, placing slices of her cherry tarts in front of them, thankful replies and laughter echoing through the house, he realized that it had felt longer, too long.

\--

James carried the sleeping boy up the stairs, his own eyes drooping slightly as he pushed open the door to the nursery. Turning up the lamp on the dresser’s flame, he gently placed the toddler into his bed, pulling the quilt over him securely and lowering the flame as he made sure that all the children in the room were sleeping.

 

Robert, William, Patricia, Douglas, Nancy, Jacqueline, and Kathryn.

 

He nodded, shut the door softly with a click, and covered a yawn with his hand as he made his way back down the stairs and into the kitchen. The room was quiet and Maria stood washing dishes at the sink and placing clean plates back into their designated cupboards. She had just arrived home from the interview with the parents, already getting to work at the dinner plates.

 

James noted his brothers had laid their heads on the table, their soft breaths reassuring him that he wasn’t the only one exhausted from tending the children. Maria must’ve caught James’ presence behind her, the reflection of her small smile visible through the window pane in front of her.

 

James rolled up his sleeves, silently offering her a hand with the dishes to which she accepted gratefully. They cleaned in silence, the only sound being the faint sound of carriages and the softness of one of the children’s lullaby wind ups being played upstairs. James could never understand how Maria cared for all the children on her own. He understood that money wasn’t a problem, since the government gladly handled those matters, but what he didn’t understand was how Maria could watch the children grow and leave with families.

 

Granted, he had done just that with his parents, George and Mary, when they came at his just before he turned 14 a few years ago, but that was different. George and Mary had not been able to have children and they welcomed the three brothers into their home with open arms.

 

He didn’t understand how Maria could not become attached to the children and while he glanced over to her and took in her settling wrinkles under her usual bright eyes, he suddenly realized that Maria had also aged along with him.

 

Maria must’ve sensed his gaze and glanced over to him as well, “You know, Mary tells me that George wants you to be an accountant.”

 

James placed a plate on the drying rack, “Oh really?” He asked, not meeting her eyes.

 

She hummed, “She says that he would like Daniel to be a politician of some sort and Seamus an editor.”

 

James froze his motions, setting down the final plate, “I understand his intentions, but I don’t understand why he would tell us this. Daniel just only turned nineteen, I eighteen, and Seamus seventeen. We haven’t even left school-”

 

Maria nodded understandingly, “I know James, I know. He just wants you all to have a good future.”

 

James glanced back to Daniel and Seamus, “If he would just listen to us when we say what we’d like to do. I don’t want to be sitting at a desk all day like him, Maria-”

 

Maria smiled sympathetically, “What would you like to do then? Travel the world?” She teased.

 

James returned the smile, “I don’t know what I’d like to do. I just don’t see why he insists on us growing up so _quickly_.”

 

Maria switched off the tap, “Well, I think that’s enough talk of life plans for tonight. All three of you need to get upstairs, I prepared the old nursery upstairs just for you all. I placed a set of pajamas on your bed for you that Mary had given me in October.”

 

James smiled and kissed her temple lightly, walking over to pull at the groaning brothers, “G’night, Maria.”

  
She untied her apron, hanging it on its wall rack as she watched the three trudge their way upstairs, “Goodnight boys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed. xx


	5. Memories and Celebration

James elbowed the slightly cracked door, memories flooding his mind as he took in the room. Maria had long ago emptied the room he had once known, leaving empty dressers and toy boxes behind. He stepped inside, lighting the lamp on the dresser to his right and watching as Seamus made a beeline to the empty bookshelf in the wall, his fingers swiping over the dusty shelves.

 

Daniel walked over to the corner of the room, kneeling and running his hand over the roof of Nana’s old doghouse, the teen’s childhood nursemaid only recently passing last October. The soft velvet pillow that she had laid her head on was still shoved against the back corner of the doghouse, her baby blue color and tag set atop it.

 

Seamus walked over to his bed, the clean sheets and royal blue duvet causing a small smile to form as he picked up the pajama set, the button up a light blue that matched his pants accordingly.

 

Daniel stood and sighed walking over and grabbing his own set of maroon pajamas, following Seamus’ suit and quickly shedding his clothes for the soft button up and pants.

 

James carried the lamp over to the nightstand, lowering the light’s glow as they both climbed into bed, murmuring out ‘goodnights’ to James and turning over in their beds contently.

 

James thumbed at a button on his own pajamas, his own shirt not being a full button up as Seamus and Daniel’s were, but simply a cotton tee that buttoned at the top. He smiled as he realized that Maria remembered his hatred of buttoning his clothes. His pants were a navy plaid, a set of navy socks going along with them.

 

He shed out of his clothes, rolling his eyes and smiling as he picked Daniel and Seamus’ clothes off the ground, neatly folding them and placing them one of the dressers. As he set them down, he furrowed his brow as he realized that he had kicked something under the dresser with his foot.

 

Kneeling and peering under the dresser, he made out a small spherical object that had been kicked into a pile of dust bunnies. James reached under the dresser blindly, his hand almost too large to fit under the furniture, finally grabbing hold of the object and furrowing his brow even more as he stood and set it on the dresser.

 

What was an _acorn_ doing in the nursery?

 

They didn’t have a tree nearby, only the small magnolia that sat in the backyard that certainly didn’t produce acorns. Even stranger, the acorn was green and didn’t seem to be decaying at all, meaning that it must’ve been placed in the room recently.

 

James shivered as he felt a breeze blow past him, his eyes immediately darting to the window, whose door was unbarred slightly. James walked over to the window, quickly pushing past the blowing curtains and locking the latch with a click.

 

He let out a breath and sat down on the window cushioned seat, resting his head on the wall behind him as he pressed his elbow to his knee and dangled his foot from the floor. Looking out the window, he held the acorn in his palm, rolling it between his fingers and allowing his eyes to shut briefly until he finally fell asleep, the acorn rolling from his hand and onto the floor.

 

As he continued to sleep, he was unaware of what lurked outside his window.

\--

Aleks blinked and sat up, glancing around the dark room and wincing as a string of bright light entered his room. Looking to Tink’s makeshift home across the room, he noticed that there was no glow through the leaf covered doorway which translated that she was not present.

 

He stood, running a hand through his hair and not bothering to glance towards the mirror in the far corner of the room as he stepped out and into the main room of the treehouse.

 

It was oddly quiet and as Aleks had a run over of the bunks and usual sleeping quarters of the Lost Boys, he found no sign whatsoever of the group. He grabbed his dagger that was set on the small table near the exit to the home, running up the steps and out the main exit compartment to the trunk of the large oak tree.

 

If one looked closely, they may note that there were seven entrances that resembled cut limbs, their width just enough space to allow a Lost Boy slide through its tunnels and under the ground to find the large quarter of the tree that they called home.

 

Hook had been searching for said place since the pirate had arrived on NeverLand’s shores, often threatening the Piccaninnie tribe who they themselves did not know the whereabouts of Aleks’ home.

 

Aleks took off into a sprint, not a second later flying into the air and heading for the swirling large smoke that rose west of him. He squinted as he spotted the Lost Boys sitting around a fire, Princess Tiger Lily and her father sitting beside them. They seemed to be laughing about something, cups of their well known herbal tea in hand.

 

Aleks landed and all eyes darted to him, Tiger Lily immediately standing from her seat and embracing him. He smiled and returned the action, taking a seat beside the welcoming Chief.

 

He glanced to the Lost Boys, “I’ve been looking for you all. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

 

Jordan smiled, “You looked like you needed some rest after the hunt from yesterday. That and we came over to the tribe to celebrate and your hand still needed to heal from that bite.”

 

Aleks lifted his hand, remembering the sea creature that had jumped from the water the day before and inspecting the healed wound, “Celebrating? For what?”

 

The Chief smiled, “Hook has departed NeverLand for the a short amount of time. The mermaids overheard him speaking to his crew about the plans of visiting the Mainland for at least three days in search of something.” He informed, taking a sip of his tea.

 

Tiger Lily nodded, “They just set sail before the sun rose and the fairies reported that he had completely left not a few hours ago. Isn’t it wonderful? No pirates for a few days to torment you and the tribe!”

 

Aleks smiled lightly, “And you say that the mermaids didn’t hear of what he was searching for?”

 

Kevin shook his head, “They said that they spoke softly, in hushed tones.”

 

Aleks furrowed his brow, nodding thankfully to a man who brought him a cup of tea, “I wonder what they are searching for in the Mainland.”

 

Eddie shrugged, smiling as he made himself comfortable against the smoothed log behind  him, “Who cares? If he doesn’t find it, maybe we’ll be rid of him _forever_.”

 

Everyone made a murmur of satisfied noises were made at the statement, except Aleks who sipped the tea distractedly, mind racing of what Hook might want in the Mainland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed. xx


	6. No Light, No Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> had a lot of fun writing this chapter, really looked forward to writing it. hope you enjoy. xx

The streets of Bloomsbury were silent. On each block was a streetlamp that held a single oil lamp that was lit at dusk and blown out at dawn. They lit the stone streets and kept residents reassured that nothing would slip past the eyes of the flames so long as they were lit.

 

On any other night, the streets would’ve been silent, but tonight was different from the normal nights of Bloomsbury.

 

All the once, at the stroke of midnight, the streetlamps were blown out by a large gust of surging wind. No one noticed, of course, since all were sleeping and inside their homes.

 

Everyone except James, who groaned in his sleep and woke with a harsh breath, his eyes wide as he gazed around the room. He had awoken from a horrible, blurred dream that was filled with only the screams of his brothers and darkness around him.

 

Sweat beaded at his forehead and he scolded himself for falling asleep by the window, but made no movements as he simply turned his back to the window once again, closing his eyes and forcing himself to fall back to sleep.

 

He sighed and turned to face the window, his mind unsettling and not allowing him to fall back to sleep frustratingly. He opened his eyes and gazed down to the street, eyes narrowing as he sat up and saw a sight he hadn’t ever seen before.

 

The streetlamp was not lit.

 

He simply shrugged it off as the wind _only_ blowing out his street’s light, unknowing to the fact that all of Bloomsbury’s lights had been distinguished. Turning over he sighed and fell between the place of being asleep and awake, his breathing eventually settling and falling fully back into slumber.

 

It was quiet then, the sounds of the three boy’s breathing being the only thing heard.

 

Though suddenly, there was a faint thud on the roof, causing James to grumble and nuzzle his cheek into the cushions even more. The thudding continued, getting louder and louder until James finally stirred so much that his back pressed against the cold window, his eyes prying open at the sensation.

 

There was a moment in the time period of his eyes opening and the moon shining dimly into the room where James could’ve sworn he saw a shadow in the moonlight, immediately gasping and turning to see what the shadow was.

 

He blinked and his heart raced as he stared out the into the empty darkness, an unsettling feeling churning in his stomach. He stood, his body still adjusting to waking up, and turned to walk over to his bed.

 

He nearly screamed as the windows flew open just then, slamming themselves into the walls and surging the curtains to forward. He turned, running over to them and closing them securely, leveling his breathing as he stared down at the pitch black street below.

 

Just then, he heard a _creak_ in the floorboard from behind him, the hairs on his neck standing up straight as his breathing slowed and he turned. His eyes went wide and he let out a yell as a large hand flew over his mouth, another set of strong arms wrapping around his torso. He kicked and his eyes began to water as the men that seemed to be holding him pressed a knife to his throat, ceasing his muffled screams and fighting.

 

He was pushed to his knees, the mens' grips still on him as he was grabbed by the chin and forced to look up into an unknown man’s eyes. They were so dark James was surprised that he could even see them with the lack of light, but they glowed with a sense that was so sickening that James swallowed involuntarily, intimidated by the stare.

 

James noticed that the man was wearing strange attire that consisted of a red overcoat with golden buttons, a black shirt which’s puffed sleeves were visible at the cuffs of the overcoat. James had never seen someone dress so outrageously. The next thing he saw after the man finally broke the stare was a glimmer to his left. James narrowed his eyes and was muffled when he screamed out once he discovered what was attached to the man’s arm.

 

A shining, silver hook.

 

James watched helplessly as the man lowered the sharp limb-like weapon onto his cheek, tears slipping down his face and a muffled shout being made as the man tore the metal down his sensitive cheek's skin. As the man pulled away, he began chuckling as blood began to drip from James’ cheek, wiping the blood on the teen’s own shirt.

 

By now, Daniel and Seamus had also been pulled from the safety of their beds, mouths gagged and wrists tied as men had to restrain the two back as they were forced to watch their brother. James sent them a sympathetic glance that translated to a 'are you okay' in their usual body language, to which they returned quickly with a nod. 

 

The man finally spoke, “Throw them into the bags. We’ve no time to be caught by a bystander.”

 

The man’s voice was rough, yet smooth and it made James fear grow even more as the man smirked down at him as he barked out the order.

 

James attempted to thrash out of the men’s grip as his brothers were thrown into two separate cloth bags, being thrown over two large men’s shoulders and carried out the window. James had no inkling of were the brothers were being taken, only that they did not travel down the house, but  _up_ onto the roof. 

 

“We’ll be waiting at the ship, Captain.” One of the men spoke roughly.

 

James stared back up at the man, eyes wide when he heard the man before him be addressed as _Captain_. The two men holding him placed a gag over his mouth, a burning sensation taking over as the fabric tightened around the no doubt deep wound on his cheek. They released their hold on his mouth, now only holding his arms behind him roughly. He no longer attempted to thrash against them as the one known as ‘Captain’ stared down at him in amusement.

 

Who was this man? Why was he here? Where was he taking them? 

 

He finally addressed him, “Hello, James.”

 

James’ eyes widened and the man simply chuckled at the expression, “I’ve been searching for you for days, you know?”

 

James swallowed, blinking as the man stood and pulled a feathered hat that was attached to his belt, placing it onto his head, pulling at the brim and bowing as if greeting the teen respectfully. James glared and if his mouth wasn't restrained, he would've spit at his feet. 

 

“It’s an honor to meet you, James Wilson. My name is Captain James Hook,” He paused and chuckled, “I've heard a lot about you.”

 

James furrowed his brow and shook his head, forcing himself to wake himself from the dream-  _nightmare_ \- that he was experiencing. _Captain James Hook_ _?_ That's a villain from a fairy tale, not an actual person. Yet, in front of him stood an accurate representation of the pirate as far as he remembered the story of  _Peter Pan_. He opened his eyes once again, the menacing man still standing before him and his cheek still burning to no end. 

 

James shook his head as the Captain kneeled once again, eyes narrowing as he seemed to be inspecting James thoroughly, "You don't believe I'm real, do you?" He asked, a smile forming as James didn't even blink at the question. 

 

He heard a round of dark laughter around him before his vision went black as his temple was hit sharply, his body being lifted once again and thrown into his own cloth bag.

 

Hook made sure to swiftly close the curtains and latch the windows shut just as Maria came trudging into the room, her eyes filed with sleep and arms crossed as if she was prepared to scold the three teens for all the noise. Though, she furrowed her brow as she spotted no sign of the three, lighting the lamp and gasping as she spotted blood on the wooden floor boards. She ran over to the beds, to the window, to the dresser, searching for any signs of their departure, but found _none_. 

 

She froze as she spotted something sitting inside Nana's empty doghouse. She kneeled and found that it was a strange parchment paper written letter. Unrolling it, she covered her mouth as she let out wet sobs, her back falling against the doghouse. 

 

_To whom it may concern,_

_We've taken the pleasure of borrowing the three boys in question for small token of a favor. They will not be returned, due to dire circumstances, but it should be known that there will not be a hair misplaced on their heads by the borrowing party... It is not of their doing, but of another party's._

_Sincerely,_

_C.J.H. and Crew_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the scene is from 'peter pan: return to neverland' or simply 'peter pan 2'. i know its originally jane, not wendy whom james is in the story, but i just thought this would set the story better. hope you enjoyed. xx


	7. NeverLand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> James' last name was said to be Darling, as well as Seamus and Dan's, and it still is Darling once he is adopted by Mary and George. Just pretend that Mary and George's last name was something other than Darling, and that that last name was added to their full name, but they still like to be addressed by Maria's last name: Darling. (James Darling, Seamus Darling, Daniel Darling)

James woke with a gasp, his eyes darting around the enclosed and dark space. His knees were pushed up against his chest and he realised that he was lying on a hard surface, his cheek smushed against the floor beneath him. As he attempted to sit up, he was pushed down by someone, the right side of his body crashing back onto the now known wooden floor.

“Stay down, we’ve not arrived yet.” Someone hissed to him, forcing him to stay down as a foot was pressed harshly into his side.

He let out a soft groan at the feeling of the foot leaving his side, immediately reaching to rub the spot the bruise promising skin. He blinked and inhaled, taking a sharp intake of bitterness and wine.

He glanced down and noticed that he was still in his pajamas, although slightly dirt covered and tattered. As he pressed against the bag he was placed in, he discovered that there was a sewn in piece of fabric in front of his line of vision; the loose string easily accessible to pull.

Pulling at the thin string, he pulled the small piece of fabric into the bag, the bright glare of daylight hitting his adjusting eyes. The first thing he spotted from the bag was a line of dark wooden planks that spread out past his vision, then maroon wood around those planks that seemed to be some type of barrier.

He held back a gasp as he felt himself began to tumble to the other side of the maroon barriers, bracing himself for an impact that never came. He pried open his eyes to see a scuffed boot in front of him, letting out a noise of protest when someone grabbed the top of the bag and forced him to sit up uncomfortably in the bag.

His eyes widened at the sight before him. Clear water below, golden sand, green grass, tall trees varying from palms to evergreens, and an abundance of perfect clouds in the bright, blue and endless sky above him.

He felt his breathing slow when he realized that this was real. This wasn’t a dream.

_Captain Hook_ , or some insane imposter, had kidnapped him.

He was in _NeverLand_ , or some strange form of it, miraculously.

He was currently aboard the _Jolly Roger_ , or assumed to be on it from the small memory he had of the tale of _Peter Pan_.

He heard a chuckle above him and felt the stranger grab at his cloth covered hair, forcing him to gaze up into, the now known, Hook’s eyes. The pirate had a smug expression on his face that made James swallow, intimidated by the stare.

Hook turned the boy’s gaze to the shores of NeverLand, “You see that, James?” He paused, “You have the honor to help me to _Aleks Pan’s_ demise.”

James furrowed his brow at the name, glancing down into the waters for a moment before a strong jolt of the ship made Hook release his grip of him and allow him to fall hard onto the ship’s deck.

Hook made a noise of disapproval, “Do that again and I’ll have your brains blown to bits! Don’t you know how to land a ship? I was having a conversation with our guest to which you rudely interrupted, fucking _idiots_!” He hissed.

James held back a groan at the still aching pain in his cheek, a groan actually escaping when he felt a foot give him a swift and merciless pain to his side once again.

He heard Hook laugh softly, “ _Welcome home_ , James. I’m sure your friends will be _ever so_ excited to see you.”

James bit the inside of his cheek as he felt strong arms heave him over their shoulder, eventually tossing him roughly back into his original spot on the deck. He felt tears well up at his eyes and blinked them away forcefully, willing himself to lay his head on the barrier behind him and wrap his arms around himself.

He began to think of Daniel and Seamus and their whereabouts. Were they safe? Were they injured? He then began to think of _why_ Hook took them in the first place and had a special emphasis on James only. He thought of Maria and the children who were probably worried sick of them and then ran a hand over his face as he pictured George and Mary sobbing at their beds at home, waiting for their children to arrive home but never coming.

He then became angry, vividly angry. Who was this friend, or friends, of whom Hook spoke? He had little to no friends other than Daniel and Seamus, who understood his ways. He groaned and pulled at his hair frustratingly. Why was NeverLand real? Why was Hook real?

He didn’t ask for any or this.

\--

Aleks ran beside Jordan, laughter escaping his lips as they chased Princess TigerLily ahead of them who sat gracefully on her racing horse. Tink was to his left, giggling as Aleks would lift his feet and fly every so often to catch up with the swift horse, making Jordan yell in protest at the lack of ability to do so.

Aleks bit his lip in concentration, glancing up at the vines in the jungle trees above them. He glanced to Jordan, who understood him so well that he nodded and grabbed a lengthy vine quickly, throwing the other end to Aleks.

Aleks gestured Jordan to Tinkerbell, who jingled and speedily sprinkled Jordan with pixie dust, allowing both boys to fly off the pathway and dart towards TigerLily, who screamed gleefully as they attempted to rope her horse.

“Okay, _okay_! You two win!” She surrendered, steadying her horse.

 

Aleks smiled and helped her off the horse, “Good try Lily, but I don’t think River can outrun pixie dust.”

TigerLily pet the horse’s nose, “You’re such a good girl for trying though, aren’t you?” She cooed, smiling.

Jordan pulled at his shirt, fanning himself, “It sure is nice and hot today. You feeling alright Aleks?” He asked.

Aleks shrugged, flying up to sit on a branch above them, “It’s probably because Hook isn’t here. I don’t have to worry about him-”

Aleks was interrupted when there were high pitched cries of his name repeatedly. Aleks furrowed his brow and settled himself back onto the ground, glancing to Jordan for help. Jordan nodded to their left, not sure of who was calling the flying boy either, but hearing the voices to the east of them no less. TigerLily followed cautiously, murmuring to River to head back home without her.

Jordan’s ears led them to a small cove that swept under NeverLand’s ground and shores and into the ocean, there in the cove sat four frightened mermaids, waving their hands to Aleks in alarm.

Aleks flew over to them kneeling on the ledge of the cove, “What is it, Nerissa?” He asked the eldest mermaid of the four.

Nerissa swallowed, “Hook has returned.” She breathed.

Aleks didn’t blink, “And? Nerissa, he isn’t a threat to you anymore, remember-”

Nerissa’s eyes widened at his lack of fear, “No, Aleks, you do not understand-”

Jordan kneeled beside his leader, “Hook isn’t a threat to anyone anymore, Nerissa. Everyone in NeverLand knows that. He’s just an old man who thinks he has the audacity to meddle with the tribe and Aleks.” He said reassuringly.

Nerissa glared this time, “You are not listening to me! He is back and...” She paused, hearing her sisters call for her, “I have to go.” She rushed out before diving back under the water.

TigerLily dropped a flower crown that she had been weaving into her lap, a look of disappointment etched onto her face, “Well, there goes our vacation of him.”

Jordan rolled his eyes, “Aleks?”

Aleks stood, taking a breath and shrugging, “I’ll go see what has got them all scared. It can’t be anything that _terrible_. It’s Hook we’re talking about here.”

 

Jordan pressed his lips together, sighing, "Do you really need to go? We were having such a nice time-"

 

Aleks narrowed his eyes in the direction that Hook usually docked his ship, “I just have to go see, Jordan. This isn’t up for discussion. You can trail behind and if I need backup-”

Jordan nodded, “You’ll signal for me and I’ll get the boys, I got it Aleks.” He paused, “I just don’t want you to do anything that’ll get you into trouble.”

Aleks rolled his eyes playfully, lifting himself off the grass and into the air, “Me, _trouble_? Ha, Jordan you’re funny.” He said, flying off to the waters with Tinkerbell close behind.

\--

“It’s amazing what one can do with a nice masking rail, isn’t it men?” Hook chuckled, hearing James struggle in the dangling bag that he was currently in that hung over the clear waters.

James had caught a glimpse of Daniel and Seamus through the hole in the sack, seeing their worried faces as they watched him be strung up on the rail as they were tied to the mask’s pole in the center of the ship.

“What do you want with him, Hook?” He heard Seamus yell in anger.

There was a soft gasp of crew at the demand, the only thing heard being Hook’s footing and the soft waves against the ship. James froze when he heard Daniel’s muffled exclaims along with a noise of protest from Seamus.

“That’s better.” Hook purred, “Both of you need to learn to keep your mouths shut then your brother is dangling over the mouth of a crocodile.”

James’ limbs tensed as he heard a loud hissing below him, immediately kicking and clawing at the bag for some way to escape it. He saw no use in his efforts as he heard the pirates laughing at him in amusement and surrendered to the Captain.

He sighed, “I haven’t done anything to you, Hook. Tell me where I wronged you and I will right it, I promise!” He demanded, earning another round of laughter from the pirates.

He heard the Captain’s hook scrap against the wooden railing, “You’re correct. You have done nothing to wrong me, Mr. Darling... Your dear friend, on the other hand, has wronged me right and left, sadly.”

James groaned, pulling at his hair when the hissing seemed to come closer, “I don’t know what you’re talking about! And why should I have to pay for his wrongdoings?”

Hook chuckled, “Oh, my dear boy, you don’t remember your friend?”

James pressed his eyes shut, “No, I don’t.” He murmured.

Hook made a noise of amusement, “Well, let me describe him for you, shall I?” He paused and hummed, “Light skinned, strangely enough, dark hair with dark eyes that are always looking for trouble, smirks a lot, green clothes... Flies around NeverLand and helps boys from the MainLand when they fall out of their prams. Sound familiar?”

James shook his head, squeezing his eyes as if trying to remember a face, “No- I don’t- I haven’t met anyone like-”

Hook laughed softly to himself, “This is simply perfect because I’m fairly certain he remembers you.”

The hissing grew louder and James froze as he began to hear snapping noises from below. Hook made a noise of content at the beast, “Oh look, he’s hungry. Should we feed him?”

The sound of the crew making noises of approval grew and James could barely hear Seamus and Daniel’s muffled curses and yells over the crowd. He hadn’t even said goodbye to them, to Mary and George, to Maria...

Then a foul smell reached his nose and he quickly covered it, the sound of splashing being made thereafter. The sounds of chewing and tearing from below him were heard and James felt his heart began to beat again at the realization that they had just fed the beast rotten food from the ship.

Just then, there was a shout of protest from Hook himself, the sounds of pistols loading and swords being unsheathed.

 

“Look here, it’s the guest of the hour coming down to take my hat, what a gentlemen! Hello, my old friend, did you miss me?” Hook exclaimed angrily.

There was a joyful laughter and the sound of fabric tearing, the laugh making James freeze from his struggling actions in the bag, “ _Only in your dreams, Hook!_ ” The voice paused and the sound of fabric ripping continued, along with the gasp of the ship’s crew, “Oddly enough though, I didn’t know a _codfish_ could talk, did you _Tink_?”

Hook groaned in frustration, the sound of a sword unsheathing loudly being heard, “Blast him!” He shouted, the sound of a canon making James jump in fear.

The joyous laughter was heard again and James felt his head begin to spin at the sound, as if he was hearing an old song that he had long forgotten, “Give it your best shot, Captain!”

After a few shots of the canon and the laughter still not ceasing, James thought that they would run out of canons until Hook cried out in exasperation, “Come down here, _boy_! I have a little present for you.”

The voice cooed, “Aw Captain, you shouldn’t have.”

James furrowed his brow when he heard the slight sound of bells ringing melodiously. What on earth could be ringing that delicately at this time?

Hook chuckled, taking his voice back to the same tone that sent shivers down James’ neck last night in the nursery, “It was just a token of my affection for you. You see, I have a... _friend_ of yours.”

James assumed that the voice still had not seen him dangling over crocodiles and rolled his eyes when the voice replied with a clueless, “Who?”

Hook laughed to himself manically, “Well the fairies had told me of how you had crashed down into the ground that terrible day and how you had grown quite close to a _MainLand boy_...” Hook drew out.

There was an extended silence and James felt his breathing still as no reply was made. This was the friend that Hook spoke of. Was James some type of _bait_ for the friend? If so, Hook had made a mistake because James swore that he had _never_ heard such a lovely laugh before.

The voice finally spoke in a growling tone, “How- How _dare you_.”

A round of laughter broke out and the jingling of bells seemed to grow as the laughter grew, but this time the jingling was frantic and never ending.

“Ah, yes. I see _you_ remember _him_ , but _he_ doesn’t remember _you_.” Hook laughed out teasingly.

James suddenly felt vulnerable, insecure. He was positive he did not know this person and he was almost angry at how infuriated the voice sounded when Hook had described him.

“Let him go, Hook. Now! He has no part of this.” The voice demanded.

Hook chuckled, “I see... Well, if you want him, go get him.”

James’ breath hitched at the statement and he heard the sound of metal being slashed together before he the voice yelled out and suddenly James felt the weight that held him to the mask rail being cut loose.

James shouted out in alarm as he seemed to fall, down into the water with a splash, his heart pounding as he heard the thrashing of the crocodile around him. Water seeped into his mouth and he tried coughing it up, only to have the salted water flow into his lungs. His eyes began to close and he heard another splash into the water above him before the feeling of the crocodile around him ceased and he felt someone pull at the bag.

Above the water, Hook stared down in amazement as a single bubble emerged. Aleks had dove into the water to save the boy, still not having emerged. Hook let out a twisted and high pitched laugh, the crew silent as he laughed to himself.

“I’ve done it. I’ve really done it. I’ve killed Aleks Pan!” He said to himself, the crew slowly erupting into a wave of shouts and cheers.

Daniel and Seamus still had their mouths gagged and bags placed over their heads, but their slowly connected their hands, tears already flowing rapidly at the loss of their brother. They both willed this to be a terrible dream, but as they were untied and a plank was thrown down at the edge of the ship for them, they knew it wasn’t.

All of a sudden, just as Seamus was about to either be stabbed or forced to walk the board, there was a shout of victory and shadows overcasting the ship. Daniel and Seamus gazed up to see a boy holding the bag that James had been trapped in, smiles forming on their faces as the boy winked to them.

Hook glared, “How are you not dead?” He sneered.

Aleks smirked, “You really think you can get rid of me that easily?”

Hook yelled in total rage, equipping his pistol and shooting out at the flying boy madly. Aleks dodged every one, a smug expression on his face as Hook finally ran out of bullets.

Aleks lifted his fingers to his mouth, whistling loudly. The pirates looked to one another in confusion, but soon enough a band of Lost Boys came soaring on board, knocking each pirate on their knees and grabbing Daniel and Seamus into their arms before disappearing once again. A light trail of pixie dust followed them and Hook glared at the pixie who pulled at his hair before disappearing.

Aleks smiled to himself, holding James securely in his arms, “Well Hook, I hope you’ve learnt your lesson.” He said, flying away quickly back to the hidden forests of NeverLand as Hook cursed him to no end.

\--

Jordan had settled himself back onto the ground, Eddie by his side while the remainder of the Lost Boys set the two MainLanders onto the ground gently.

Daniel and Seamus stared at the boys with wide eyes, mouths agape as they took in their attire and barefeet. The LostBoys returned the strange expression with welcoming smiles, Jordan being the first one to extend his hand to the pair.

He cleared his throat, “Jordan, nice to meet you both.”

Daniel shook it wearily, “Daniel Darling.”

Seamus looked at the hand, but nonetheless shook it, still in shock and still having red eyes, “I’m- It’s nice to meet you, I guess. I’m Seamus.”

Jordan nodded, “I know, I’ve been told a lot about you both. It’s nice to finally meet you-”

“What the fuck is going on?” Seamus blurted at the statement, “No, seriously. My brother almost fucking died and you’re talking shit like it’s no big deal-”

Eddie stepped in, “We know, we’re sorry for the scare but we couldn’t risk Aleks or James’-”

Daniel furrowed his brow, “Why do you even know us? We’ve never met any of you before and James was almost killed because that _maniac_ kidnapped us and brought us here. Now, you better tell us what’s going on and where we are.” He demanded, a nod from Seamus strengthening the order.

Jordan sighed, “It’s not my place-”

There was a break in the trees and Aleks came flying through, Tinkerbell right on his trail as he landed gently into the jungle’s grass, setting James down in front of him. He didn’t want to meet Daniel and Seamus’ eyes, but as the brothers came running over to see their sibling he saw that they had indeed aged. He stared for a moment, noticing that Seamus still had his bright wide blue irises and Daniel still had a constant look of care in his own brown ones. He blinked, noticing that the brothers were giving him glares suddenly.

Daniel spoke first, pointing at the flying boy’s chest that was still wet with sea water, “This is all _your_ fault.” He hissed.

Aleks glanced from his finger to his stern face, “Dan, I can explain-” He stated calmly, which only distorted Daniel’s face into one of disgust.

“You don’t know me, us, me and my brothers! We don’t know you so stop acting like it!” He yelled, making Aleks’ eyes widen.

Aleks was about to reply when he heard a groan from the soaked bag, his mouth immediately closing and his eyes darting to Jordan, who already had his knife out to cut the bag open. Daniel and Seamus furrowed their brows.

“What the fuck are you doing? You’re going to cut him-” Seamus exclaimed, falling silent as Jordan swiftly cut the bag and stepped back into his previous spot behind Aleks.

James immediately took a deep inhale, coughing violently and reaching out to Seamus, the first person he saw. Seamus’ face fell and he held his brother up as he coughed up the sea water. Daniel grabbed his hand to which James greatly returned, all three brothers silently reassuring one another that they were together and safe again.

Aleks stood slowly, memories flooding his brain and his breath catching in his throat at the sight of the older boy. He had grown _so much_. Jordan placed his hand on his shoulder, only to have it pushed away as Aleks began to stumble backwards as James’ coughing began to settle.

James turned to look at what everyone’s eyes were on, finally settling on the jagged breathed Aleks. Aleks didn’t blink as James stared at him, head tilting as if he was attempting to remember his face.

James coughed lightly, “You- You’re the one he was talking about. The boy with light skin and dark hair and eyes. You’re the reason I’m here.” He said roughly, his brow furrowing as Aleks began to shake.

Aleks opened his mouth, “I have to go.” He breathed, turning and darting past the trees and into the sky.

He heard Jordan calling him, but made no effort to halt and saw a small light from the corner of his eye. Tinkerbell smiled sadly to him and bit his lip, once far enough away from the boy that he finally crashed down onto a tree branch for support, hands gripping the bark tightly and pulling himself up as he settled his back against the tree’s trunk.

Tinkerbell landed on his knee, sitting and comforting the boy’s numbness momentarily.

 **  
** He sucked in a breath, “I can’t do this. I fucking- _I didn’t fucking ask for this._ ”

 

Back in the forest, James finally stood, Jordan wrapping a thick piece of fur around his shoulders. James glanced in the direction of the flying boy, his eyes narrowing slightly as a faint image tugged at his mind. He shook his head, weakly walking as his brothers guided him to the 'treehouse' as Jordan had put it, saying that they needed to get inside as the sky darkened. 

 

He shivered as harsh wind blew against him and suddenly, a faint image in his head suddenly surfacing, his hand then instinctively reaching into his pocket to pull out a small object. 

 

Jordan turned around to speak with the three MainLanders, his voice cutting off slightly as he stared at the object in James' hand, "Where did you get  _that_?" 

 

James met his eyes, twirling the acorn in his grasp, "I had found it in the nursery," He met Seamus and Daniel's stares, "Before we were taken and I-" He trailed off the image now fully appearing in his mind. 

 

He felt a small smile form, "A good _friend_ of mine had given it to me when I was young."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed! I had fun writing this part and I hope it isn't confusing! xx


	8. Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Follow My Tumblr](http://tropicalaleks.tumblr.com/)

Wind and thunder roared on outside, shaking even the treehouse’s sturdy roots and center as the Lost Boys hesitantly crowded around the three Darling boys.

The inhabitants of NeverLand had not experienced critical weather for a long period of time; the delicate creatures of the forest and even the beasts scurrying for cover from the harsh storm ahead.

In the warm light of the treehouse, Jordan entered the room with three steaming cups of neverberry tea, the three Darling boys taking the cups, but immediately setting them onto the ground beside them.

Jordan frowned, “You have to eat something, guys. You don’t age here, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t need nutrients,” He paused, his eye catching their tired expressions, but mostly catching James’ wound on his cheek, “Look, how about I get you gets settled in some beds?”

The mention of getting the opportunity to sleep had the three boys standing and following Jordan to the extra set of beds in a currently unused space. The Lost Boys had managed to make the three single beds just after they safely rescued the Darling boys.

Jordan smiled warmly as James pressed a hand against the fabric covered hay, “I know it looks rough, but it’s actually very comfortable if you give it a shot.” He offered.

James nodded and glanced over to see Seamus already turning over in the bed to sleep, Dan quickly doing the same and giving his brothers a small smile as he exhaled deeply into the pillow beneath him.

Jordan placed his hands on his hips, lowering the volume of his voice to accommodate the sleeping Mainlanders, “Is there anything else I can get you?”

James pulled at his still damp clothing, raising his brow, “Some dry clothes would be nice.” He mumbled.

Jordan’s eyes widened and he smacked himself on the forehead for not thinking of the thought sooner, “Of _course_ , god I completely forgot you went underwater,” He paused and pulled at the room’s curtain of a door, “I’ll be right back with some clothes.”

Jordan exchanged a look with Eddie as he made his way over to the wooden dresser full of clothing fabrics and their usual leaf attire. Jordan immediately shifted through the leaf covered clothing, knowing the Darling boy would gawk at the light and revealing clothing.

His eyes caught a thin, light blue shirt that had a slight ‘v’ just in the neckline that could be tied by two small strings. Jordan sighed and grabbed the shirt, moving onto the next drawer to find a pair of black shorts that TigerLily had made for the boys a few weeks ago.

Eddie was suddenly at his side, a lit candle holder in his hand as the tree shook once again, the dark haired boy wincing, “We’re heading off to bed,” He paused, his eyes flickering over to the dark curtain of Aleks’ bedroom, “Do you think he’ll be back by morning?”

Jordan shut the drawer, folding the clothings before letting out a sigh and looking over to the entrance of the treehouse, “I don’t know. I don’t think he was prepared to see him so much older, Eddie.”

Eddie nodded and turned to walk back to the individual rooms of the boys’, pushing past his own bedroom curtain and blowing out his candle as Jordan made his way back into the Darlings’ current guestroom.

He smiled as he handed the clothes to James, “I hope they’ll do,” He pulled his fabric pants and leaf covered chest, “I thought they would do better than the ones we’re used to.”

James pressed a smile on his face as he pulled the wet shirt over his head, “It’s fine, thanks.”

In that moment, Jordan thought how extraordinarily Aleks had long ago described this boy in front him of him. Aleks had said he had a blazing glint of adventure and curiosity in his eyes, a smile always making way onto any person even in the vicinity of the dark haired boy.  

That wasn’t what Jordan saw in James’ eyes now though. There was an attempt to hide fear and a look of uncertainty in his irises and the way his shoulders slouched over. He had a look of exhaustion coating his features and Jordan wondered how many hours of sleep it would take for the boy to recover from the trauma he’d just experienced in the last few hours.

Jordan averted his eyes as James unabashedly stripped out of the wet clothes and slipped on the dry cotton clothing he had been given. The wet clothes fell to the ground with a thump and James let out a soft breath of relief as he wrapped his arms around himself in an attempt to comfort himself as he took a seat on his single bed behind him.

Jordan placed his hands on his hips, smiling gently to the dark circle ridden face, “You should get some rest,” He turned to walk over to the small stump of a nightstand where a single candle sat, illuminating the room, “Do you want to keep it on or...?”

There was a swallow heard from the boy, “ _On._ ” He paused, his voice sounding shaken, “Your name is Jordan, yeah?”

Jordan nodded, crossing his arms as James continued, “I thought so. You know, Jordan, in London we always were told, when we were young, that if a light was lit, we would be safe because the the flickering lights of lamps and candles were the eyes of the ones who held us dearly and loved us.”

His voice was nostalgic, his eyes falling to his twisting hands in his lap as he let out a sudden soft sob, his chest rising and falling in jagged breaths, “Please leave the light on. It’s the only way I’ll be able to catch a _goddamn_ ounce of sleep tonight.”

Jordan felt sympathetic for him. He had felt the fright of the mystery Neverland when he had first arrived at a young age; the only calming thing in sight being Aleks’ soothing voice and a hand extended in alliance.

It was his turn to soothe the newcomer, his strides quick as he sat beside James on the bed gently, “Are you afraid? Afraid to fall asleep?”

James’ breathing slowed, a determined shake of head being made at the question even though both the boys knew the answer, “I don’t-- I don’t get afraid.”

Jordan smiled as if to reassure the MainLander, nodding as his eyes caught the dried blood on the boy’s cheek, “I should probably get that cleaned up for you, don’t want it getting infected.”

James furrowed his brow before he lifted his hand to touch his cheek, grimacing in remembrance, “Will it scar?”

Jordan stood, offering the boy his hand and receiving a small smile in return as James took it, “Well, it depends, how did you get it in the first place?”

Jordan led him outside the spare room, into the hallway, and into another sheet covered space filled with drawers of homemade medical and emergency supplies. Jordan gestured to a small wooden seat pushed against the room’s wall, rummaging through bottles of salve and antibacterial sprays.

James’ hand swept over the deep cut, “We were in the nursery,” He began, Jordan turning to face him only dab a bit of medicine onto a cotton puff, “And I fell asleep by the window-”

Jordan’s eyes lifted from their concentrated position on the cotton puff, “The window with the bronze handle and the purple cushions?”

James nodded hesitantly, “Well _yeah,_ ” He tilted his head in confusion as Jordan pulled up a chair to sit in front of him, “How- How did you know about the window?”

Jordan pressed his lips together, mumbling that the disinfectant might sting a little as he dabbed it onto the other’s cheek, “Aleks, of course.”

James blinked, licking his dry lips as Jordan gently applied a layer of salve onto the cut, “The flying guy?”

Jordan laughed softly at the description, “Yes, the flying guy.”

James seemed disturbed by the his knowledge of his childhood nursery window, but nonetheless continued, “I was sleeping and then I remember it got so cold and windy all of a sudden, so I got up to shut the windows, but-”

James shook his head, biting at his lip as Jordan began to wrap a cloth around the cut, “It was too late and it happened so quickly. The only thing I remember was his eyes and how much it hurt when he scraped it against my face.”

Jordan paused his motions, the deep cut finally making sense, “ _Hook did this to you?_ ”

Only someone so ruthless and cruel as Captain James Hook would do something like this to an innocent MainLander’s skin. Jordan hoped that Aleks would never find out about the injury because he was almost positive that the brunet would no doubt have Hook’s head on a pike in a matter of hours.

“Why am I here, Jordan?” James asked suddenly, surprising the taller man as he stood.

There was a soft voice that echoed from the doorway, “Because Hook wants to use you to get to _me_.”

James blinked, mouth falling slack as he took in the familiar man standing just barely into the room. His hair was damp and the brunet seemed to be running low of energy as he leaned against the door’s oak frame for support.

James had always had the confidence to quickly act and give his opinion on things. He spoke his mind and had no fears other than the terrifying idea of falling from high altitudes, or acrophobia as Seamus liked to call it.

But when this brunet boy with wavy swoops of hair, bright smile, and soft eyes walked into the room, he seemed to lose his tongue and the ability to think clearly somewhere along the seconds that seem to tick by.

Aleks seemed to stare at the younger in the same way. It was like a dream and a nightmare all at once having James here; a clear dream that James was truly in front of him, but a nightmare in the way that he was put here through Hook’s hands and his hands only. Aleks had abandoned him. He had forced himself to forget about the curly haired boy with blinding smile and loud laugh. With this forced amnesia came the questioning of whether James was fictional or not and having James here did not help his practical hysteria that he had been trying to overcome since the day he found the boy in the alley.

Jordan noticed the tension between the two and pressed a smile on his face, stepping between the empty space between them and glancing to Aleks, “James was just telling me a really interesting story about a light being lit at night to protect children. I’ve got to say that I’ve never heard you tell us that story, Aleks.”

Aleks raised a brow, nodding to himself as he averted his eyes from James’ calm and dazed stare, “Well, I think _James_ has a far more avid understanding of stories than I.”

James choked on the air in his dry throat. The memory from earlier had surfaced; the images in his head blurred but still readable as he began to picture himself kneeling on the windowsill, clutching an acorn in his hand as a flying boy floated outside the window.

“Stories?” He mumbled, his brow furrowed as he stood and felt the grounding of his feet falter.

He heard the concerned voice of Jordan before he fell to the ground, feeling a pair of arms catch him by the back before he fell fully and involuntarily blinked his eyes shut.

\--

_“Aleks, it’s your turn,” The blond flicked the flying boy’s bare knee, earning a squawk of protest as he stopped lazily twisting flowers into James’ hair, “We don’t have all night, you know. We do actually have school tomorrow.”_

__

_James sat up from his position lying against Aleks’ side, a pillow pressed beside him as Aleks’ hands slipped from his hair to shuffle his hand of cards and place a card onto the stack. Aleks had arrived not an hour ago, a two candle lights flickering amongst them as they sat in a circle with a full supply of blankets and pillows as the nursery breathed in the light fall air through the window._

__

_“What if we don’t go to school?” James asked suddenly, twisting a leaf that had fallen off of Aleks’ clothing in his hands, “I mean, we could always just start our own businesses in town-”_

__

_Dan hummed in disbelief, “Like we could get enough money to even begin to think of owning property, much less start up our own company, James.”_

__

_Aleks smiled at the brothers’ bickering, debating on placing another card onto the stack before James pointed to an eight of spades and confirmed his next play, “I think that sounds like an extraordinary idea, Dan. Who says you can’t be successful and be the next biggest merchants in England?”_

__

_The younger of the two brothers laughed as Daniel stuck out his tongue, “Says you, Aleks. You didn’t even have to finish secondary school.”_

__

_Aleks smirked, “I bet I know more than any of you ninnies do.”_

__

_James poked at the older boy’s stomach, making Aleks drop his cards onto the floor with a yelp. The three boys erupted into laughter as Aleks floated above the dark haired boy in mock caution. James grin brightened and he pulled at at the flying boy’s foot in an attempt to get him to come down from the cloud painted ceiling._

__

_“Aleks, please come down.” James giggled, “We can’t keep you all night, Aleks.”_

__

_Aleks tilted his head, slowly lowering himself onto the floor as he ruffled James’ hair, “Can’t keep me all night? What am I? A dog?”_

__

_Nana barked at the mention and the boys laughed, the saint bernard walking over to sit beside Seamus with a huff._

__

_Daniel pet her on the head, “He didn’t mean it, Nana, honest.”_

__

_Aleks rolled his eyes playfully and nudged James as the other two brothers consoled the dog with pets and praises, “You can always keep me around as long as you keep that window open, James. You know that.” He said quietly, a small smile on his face._

__

_James’ shoulder fell in content, leaning back up against the brunet and looking up at him, a sudden seriousness in his irises, “Aleks?”_

__

_Seamus and Daniel had picked up the pair’s cards, beginning to play a game of their own when they spotted James’ drowsiness in his posture against the flying boy, “Hm?”_

__

_James smiled sleepily, “You won’t forget about me, will you?”_

__

_Aleks threaded another flower through his hair, rising off the ground to lightly pick the boy up and place him into his bed, “Me? Aleks Pan? Forget James Darling? Never.”_

__

_James let out a sigh as his head fell onto his pillow, nodding as Aleks pulled the duvet up to his chin, “That’s good.”_

__

_Aleks felt his feet touch the ground and he walked over to the lamp on the nursery’s dresser, lowering it and turning to Seamus and Daniel who had dramatic pouts on their faces at the action._

__

_He chuckled, walking over to them and pulling each of their bed’s back and tucking them in as well. After saying their goodnights, Tinkerbell flew from her spot in the two story dollhouse and kissed each boy on the forehead, following Aleks as he took off running out the window and into the night sky._

__****  
  


\--

The sky of NeverLand was never truly black. When the sun set and purples and pinks finally disappeared from the sky, a navy blue swept over the sky with bright stars. The navy was calming and it often reminded Aleks of the color of the ocean during summers where he and the Lost Boys would swim amongst the mermaids.

But no tint of the night sky could calm him as he sat on the edge of one of the high trees that surrounded the treehouse.

The storm from earlier had calmed and Aleks stared up into the sky as clouds began to part and faint drops of rain began to fall.

When James fell to the ground, Aleks had caught him immediately. He held the MainLander in his arms as Jordan called their closest thing to a medic, a Lost Boy named Spencer, into the room.

Spencer had looked groggy as he entered the room, but noticed Aleks’ distraught state looking down at the dark haired boy and kicked into gear; his feet quick as he grabbed a pillow to prop James’ head up on as they lifted him onto a nearby cot.

Aleks had left the room just as Spencer had said that he was breathing and that he was going to be stable. He couldn’t take seeing James limp and numb and _lifeless_.

So, as he always did, he was sorting out his internal conflicts amongst NeverLand’s wildlife and trees. The night sky was clouded tonight because of his anxious and guilt-stricten attitude, but Aleks nonetheless enjoyed seeing the small openings of stars and hear the crickets chirp melodically around him.

Aleks sighed, tilting his head back to catch the moonlight on his face. He felt drained. He felt as if he needed to take off flying and keep flying for weeks on end. His adventurous and cavorting behavior had been stolen from him because of Hook’s insistence to inevitably ruin him.

He begins to get up to stand on the platform he was previously sitting on, crossing his arms as he leans back against a thick branch and shuts his eyes once again; feeling the wind push through his hair in comfort. NeverLand knows when he is upsets, but for once in his existence she cannot solve his dilemma of James Richard Darling.

Aleks puffs out bitter a laugh at the mention of the name in his mind. After all these years he’d promised to keep that name out of his mind, but here he was reciting his name in his thoughts and waiting for a verdict of his health in NeverLand.

There’s a sudden noise from below that has Aleks peeling an eyelid open, running a hand through his hair as he surveys the forest floor below to find the source of the noise. He immediately spots a distraught and searching Jordan standing outside the treehouse’s covered entrance, apparently searching for Aleks as well.

Aleks whistles lightly with his fingers, Jordan’s eyes snapping up to the boy as he flies down to meet him, “What’s wrong? Is he okay?”

Jordan nods, quickly gesturing for him to enter of the treehouse, “He’s asking for you. Spencer’s got his wound cleaned up, but he still doesn’t fully understand why James passed out so quickly other than...” Jordan trails off as they enter the treehouse’s open space.

Aleks turns, nodding to himself, “He passed out so quickly because of me.”

Jordan avoids eye contact, but nods and walks past him to enter the room where James was being held. Aleks holds his breath as he enters the hallway, the smell of herbs and tea hitting his nose as he leans against the doorway frame.

James is sitting up, still on the cot Aleks had placed him on earlier, back propped up with two pillows and a mug of steaming tea in his grip. His attention is on Jordan and Spencer, who crowd him and block the MainLander’s view of the flying boy. Between the two Lost Boys though, Aleks can see a small closed smile on James’ lips.

Aleks immediately cuts down a fond memory that forms in his mind at the sight. The memory is more of a variation of smiles on James face and how the boy always had a hidden smile under his features at all times. Whether the smile for meant for mischief or joy, Aleks had always felt something extraordinary while in the presence of it.

Jordan turns his head, looking over his shoulder as he notices Aleks standing in the doorway, “Oh, Aleks- James, Aleks is back.” He murmurs, pulling Spencer’s arm as Spencer drops one last verdant leaf into James’ mug.

James swirls the cup, eyes just barely lifting to watch as Aleks strolls into the room.

Neither of the men know what to say to one another, exactly. James still can’t recall how he knew this flying boy fully and Aleks doesn’t know what boundaries he should cross to introduce himself to the dark haired boy again.

Aleks, nonetheless of the tension between the two of them, pulls a stool up beside James’ cot and smiles slowly in greeting, “How’re you feeling?”

He took the time to notice James’ bandage that Jordan had placed on his cheek. He had noticed the deep cut from earlier, his mind filling with worry but at the time he was occupied with trying to get James to _safety_ again.

James sets the mug down on the table beside him, his voice harsh as he speaks and just momentarily makes eye contact with the brunet, “I’m fine.”

Aleks raises a brow, leaning forward to clasp his hands together, “Fine? You didn’t seem fine to me when you abruptly fell onto the ground.”

James’ features crumble and  pulls a knee up to his chin weakly, “Well, _honestly_ I don’t know what came over me,” He gets out, shakiness in his voice as he continues, “It was just- I keep getting these blurs and colors and sounds and-”

James finally fully stares at Aleks, his eyes clouded with tears as he sucks in a breath, “You.”

Aleks’ heart drops into his stomach at the statement. He had only seen the _boy_ cry; the boy who was too young to understand what Aleks had to do. He had no experience of consoling or speaking with this James in front of him with fear in his eyes and a brokenness in his voice.

But, this was James.

James didn’t -- _couldn’t_ \-- change. This was the James didn’t like jam on his bread and he hated when his socks were put on incorrectly in his school shoes. This was the James who loved stories and loved hearing Aleks tell those same stories every night when he flew through the window. _This_ , this was the James that Aleks held on the nursery's wooden floor when he tried climbing out the window after Aleks when he was eight in an attempt to come with him to NeverLand and sprained his ankle.

Why couldn’t Aleks have seen this sooner?

A single tear fell against the cot’s sheet, “I’m scared and I just want to _fucking_ go home.”

Aleks felt number as he nodded, swallowing down anything other than reassurance that threatened to spill from his mouth, “I know, James.” He said softly, taking the man’s fingers soothingly and inspecting them.

This seemed to confuse James, but he nonetheless allowed Aleks to place his palm on top of his own, “What are you doing?”

Aleks had a faint smile on his lips when the tips of his callused fingers were at least three inches shorter than James’ long, nimble ones, “I just- You always used to say that my hands...” He whispered.

James blinked, “Your hands were always so warm because you were warm, like the sun.” He finished, noting the mix of awe and confusion in Aleks’ eyes as well.

Aleks stood, pulling back his hand in fear as the color drained from his face, “How do you remember- How did you remember that?”

James lowered his own hand, touching his palm in fascination, “I don’t know. I told you, I’ve been getting these colors and words randomly. They’re like memories from a dream.”

Aleks pressed his lips together, nodding curtly before walking over to the dresser in the room to grab a blanket for him, “You should get some rest. That cut might’ve messed with your head, Darling.”

James’ mouth quirked up a bit at the name, taking the blanket thankfully, “Thanks, Aleks.”

Aleks nodded, crossing his arms as he made sure James was comfortable before walking over to blow out the candles around the room.

James interrupted him before he could blow out the last candle, “Leave it lit!”

Aleks turned on his heel, brow raised at the request, “You won’t be able to sleep if you don’t blow it out.”

James shook his head, “We, my brothers and I, leave it on occasionally.”

This sparked Aleks’ interest since the Darling boys were always against leaving the oil lamp on in their nursery. What had changed to where they now liked the light?

“Are you scared of the dark?”

James sputtered, shaking his head, “No, of course not!” He paused and sighed, running a hand over his face, “We don’t have a window in our bedroom.”

Aleks dipped his head, his hands falling to his sides, “And that means that you don’t have the lights from the streetlamps in your room or the night sky.” He said solemnly, remembering James telling him of George and Mary’s absence of windows in the upstairs portion of their home.

James was silent until he let out a soft laugh, “Funny thing that that damned window is what I missed most about that house and then I was kidnapped by a fictional pirate just by falling asleep by it.”

Aleks tilted his head, “You think this is all fictional?”

James noticed the touch of offense in Aleks’ eye, but almost saw a spark of challenging in his irises in the dim lighting of the candle, “Well of course. I don’t mean to be rude, but there is no way this is real.”

Aleks hummed, fingers resting on his chin, “I see,” He paused and smiled tightly, “Well goodnight, James. I’ll see you in the morning and hopefully we’ll- um, get this all sorted out, yeah?”

James pulled the blanket over his shoulder, giving into the exhaustion behind his lids and turning over to face the room’s wall, “Goodnight Aleks.”

Aleks watched him settle, smiling sadly to himself before exiting the room and pulling the curtain behind him. As he walked down the hall, he was met with the soft snores of all his comrades except one.

Aleks found Jordan soundly asleep in the main space of the treehouse, the taller man’s back against a chest of furs as he held something in his hand. Aleks’ eyes narrowed and he opened his palm to find a green acorn that resembled the same acorns that often were attached to his clothing.

Twisting the acorn in his hand, he suddenly felt something drop in his stomach and a blanket of realization came over him.

It was the acorn that he had given to James that night.

“He thinks you forgot about him, Aleks.”

Jordan’s voice brought him back from his stare of the acorn and the light haired blinked away any sleep from his eyes, “He was mumbling and repeating the same phrase over and over when he was out. ‘Can’t keep you, Aleks’ and ‘I’ve forgotten’ was what he said.”

Aleks pulled at his hair, anger with himself finally tearing the healing wound in his chest and spilling over as he threw the acorn across the room. There was a sound of something cracking and Aleks’ eyes softened as he quickly flew over to the other side of the room, where the now withered acorn lay in pieces on the floor.

Aleks gently picked up the pieces, Jordan at his side as he attempted to hopelessly fit them back together again. Jordan rested a hand on his shoulder and helped the brunet set all the pieces onto a table. 

“Tink’ll be able to fix it, Aleks. Don’t worry.”

Aleks nodded slightly, but his internal torment was seen as he whimpered and pushed Jordan’s hand off his shoulder, sprinting to his quarters.

 

It was torture seeing the leader walk away, but Jordan knew not to fight with Aleks about his fears. Aleks was brave and  _strong_ and everything a leader should be, yes, but that did not mean that he did not have weaknesses. James Darling happened to be one of them; a flaw in the usual spirited boy.

Jordan sighed, glancing over to the acorn that now looked withered and brown before looking to Aleks’ dark room, “You’ve forgotten about him, too.”

He turned towards the treehouse door, walking outside to see the morning sun of NeverLand just barely rising on the horizon. He was going to fix this and he was going to make both of them remember again. Tinkerbell appeared at his side, her smile soft as she took a seat on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. 

Jordan's lips grew into a bright smile, clapping to himself at the pure genius of the plan, “Good idea, Tink.”

Jordan tied a red bandana over his forehead, tucking a knife in his belt and beginning his trek through the forests of Neverland. The glow of Tinkerbell kept him guided on the path that Aleks and he had made long ago, the dirt indented with the footprints from their many trips along the path.

 

When he finally reached the destination, he inhaled the smell of the evening's flowers and, with the insistence of Tinkerbell's pixie dust, began to work until the sun finally rose. It took quite some work to clean up the area, but as the sun began to rise, he realized that he had outdone himself. After taking a look at his work, he let out a satisfied breath before turning to Tinkerbell and a league of fellow pixies behind her. 

 

"We'll be back tomorrow night. Make it as special and magical as you guys can, alright? This is really important to Aleks and he needs our help to remember. Are you sure you all are up to the challenge while I get them all ready?" 

 

The fairies nodded, dispersing to already get to work on the space. Tinkerbell remained as Jordan pulled off his bandana, running a hand over his forehead in exhaustion. She smiled and kissed his cheek, jingling and telling him how much Aleks is going to appreciate the night when it came. She swirled around him, allowing his feet to lift off the ground and giving him a faster and less tiring way to get home.

 

Jordan hoped she was right as he began to make his way back to the treehouse, darting past the branches and tree's covers. The sun was softly gleaming in the sky, the morning mist of the forest giving him a refreshing burst of energy. Just as he almost reached the vicinity of the treehouse, he spotted a blur of white and blue dashing through the forest floor. He smiled as he swooped down, his suspicions confirmed as he heard a beautiful laugh. 

 

He leveled himself with TigerLily's galloping stallion and his eyes took in the blue feather laced into her headband congruous to the delicate cyan patterns River's coat, "You look lovely today, Princess." 

 

TigerLily let out a noise of surprise, slowing River to a stop as Jordan laughed at her reaction, "Don't scare me like that, Jordan! I almost reached for an arrow, you twit!"  _  
_

 

Jordan still cackled to himself nonetheless, encircling her before resting his feet onto the grass below him, "I wasn't joking when I said you looked lovely. Why so dressed up? Someone special you're going to see, hm?" 

 

TigerLily rolled her eyes at her friend's joking, "Very funny, but thank you for noticing," She paused and bit her lip, gracefully climbing off River to show her enthusiasm with her moving hands, "I'm just, I'm excited to meet the MainLanders that everyone are talking about."

 

Jordan raised his brow, "Everyone?" 

 

TigerLily nodded, beaming as he stroked River's mane and looked to the tall boy over her shoulder, "My father was told by the fairies that there was a group of three MainLanders that arrived not a few hours ago. Jordan, we haven't had MainLanders here in such a long time. I want to know what it's like over there! Aleks can only tell me so much before it gets boring from all his vague stories." 

 

Jordan frowned in realization that TigerLily did not understand the circumstances of the Darling's visit, "Lily, you do know who they are, don't you?" He asked gently. 

 

TigerLily tilted her head, as if not understanding Jordan's sudden seriousness, "Well,  _no_ , but that doesn't matter, now does it? All people are treated equally in NeverLand-" 

 

Jordan shook his head, frown deepening as he grabbed her hand to silence her assumptions, "It's the Darlings, Lily. Hook captured him in their home and brought them here... Brought _him_ here. " 

 

The princess' mouth fell open as Jordan stared into her eyes. She blinked, shaking her head as the joy seemed to fall from her eyes and other features. 

 

"No, it can't be. How did he find them so easily? Isn't the MainLand a large place?" She questioned in concern, grip falling from the taller's hold as she crossed her arms. 

 

Jordan nodded, swallowing as he shrugged, "I don't know but, Lily, Aleks was in ruins at the sight of James. He looked as if he couldn't breathe, couldn't  _function_ seeing James so much older. He looks around Aleks' age, maybe younger, and he doesn't remember a thing other than bits and pieces about Aleks." 

 

TigerLily's eyes widened at the mention of the flying boy, "Poor thing, is he alright? I should've known something was wrong by the weather last night," She scoffed, pulling at the feather that hung from her headband, "And here I am wanting to celebrate." 

 

"I've planned something with the fairies to help Aleks back in shape again. I want you to join us, it's tomorrow night." 

 

She sent him a confused look, "What on earth could possibly help Aleks get back in shape from this, Jordan?" 

 

Jordan grinned, "James Darling, of course." 

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how many parts this is going to have, but I really love Peter Pan and Aleksandr, so this will be fun. Please tell me if you enjoyed and make sure to read my other works maybe if you liked this one. xx
> 
> (i watched the 'tinkerbell: legend of the neverbeast' movie at least 4 times, so you can say that im pretty addicted to the franchise)


End file.
